Five major takeaways from Chicago Bears preseason Week 1

The Tarik Cohen hype is for real

Tarik Cohen is an extremely interesting rookie running back who had been getting a ton of attention in training camp. Well, I’m here to tell you, his hype is for real. His speed and quickness are incredibly impressive and he has a knack for making defenders miss. While we did not see

His speed and quickness are incredibly impressive and he has a knack for making defenders miss. While we did not see it on full display on Thursday night, Cohen is also an extremely smooth receiver out of the backfield.

The Bears’ first team offense did not look great early in this game and they turned to Cohen for a spark. He immediately showed the ability to make plays with the ball in his hands, carving up a Broncos’ defense that still had a lot of starters in the game. On the night, Cohen carried the ball seven times for 39 yards, a 5.6 yards per carry average. He also showed some ability as a returner, taking one punt return for 17 yards.

There are legitimate concerns about him making an impact at the NFL level. Cohen did not play high-level college football and is an extremely small player. However, he really seems to have a lot of upside in a particular role for the Bears.

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I expect Chicago to use Cohen as a change of pace back to Jordan Howard this season. He will likely be the primary third down back and I could even see them using him a bit out of the slot. If they were wise, the Bears would use creative ways to get Cohen the ball in space.

He is undoubtedly an exciting playmaker who could make a significant difference for a team lacking offensive playmakers. After watching Cohen against Denver, there is no doubt in my mind about that.