Chicago Bears: Why Tarik Cohen needs to be traded now

The human joystick or chicken salad, whatever you want to call him. Either way, the Bears need to entertain the idea of trading Tarik Cohen before it’s too late…

Back in 2017, the Chicago Bears drafted Tarik Cohen in the fourth-round of the NFL Draft. While being a bit of surprise, the North Carolina A&T product may have been undersized, but what he lacked in height, Cohen made up for in speed.

During his time with the Bears, Cohen has accumulated 1,027 rushing yards, 1,534 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns. While being a great change-of-pace rusher, Cohen has also received All-Pro honors as a returner. Safe to say it’s pretty easy to see why Cohen has become a fan favorite during his tenure in Chicago.

With that being said, Cohen is coming up on the last year of his rookie deal and I believe there’s a valid case that Ryan Pace should consider dealing Cohen ahead of him hitting free agency following the conclusion of next season.

This isn’t a depiction of the production that Cohen’s amassed since entering the league, but rather a concept relating to the idea that you should never pay running backs. Want some examples? Look at what’s occurring in New York with Le’Veon Bell or how the Los Angeles Rams just had to release former first-round draft pick, Todd Gurley.

Now, I’m not saying that Cohen is the same tier of player as Bell or Gurley, but it’s clear to anyone who pays attention to the league that the running back position is the most undervalued position in all of sports. Needless to say, this is a prime reason why the Bears need to move on from Cohen as soon as possible.

So, what could the Bears possibly land for Cohen? After examining past transactions involving running backs (minus any transaction involving Bill O’Brien), I’ve come to the conclusion that Cohen should be worth roughly a sixth-round pick.

While that may not seem like much, just remember that the Bears received a 2020 sixth-round pick in return for Jordan Howard. Now, I recognize that Cohen and Howard have radically different skill sets, but I’d still like to think that Howard is viewed as the steadier workhorse rusher.

Given the current timeline of the NFL and the draft quickly approaching, I think it’s time to ship Cohen off to a team needing a change of pace back… Couldn’t you see someone like Bill Belichick being intrigued by adding Cohen to the Patriots roster?

Why would the Bears consider dealing Cohen? Because they’ve shown they don’t hold the running back position in high regard. Dealing Jordan Howard for a late-round pick and then drafting David Montgomery is a prime example of that.

In all reality, would it even make sense for the cap strapped Bears to sign Cohen to a long-term deal? Absolutely not. Time to ship the human joystick off for some value, rinse and repeat. Thank you for all that you’ve done for the city of Chicago, Tarik… However, it’s time to move on.