Chicago Bears: Tarik Cohen’s fitness comment raises eyebrows

Chicago Bears’ Tarik Cohen recently shared that he didn’t prioritize his fitness last season which was a big reason why the Bears took a big step backward.

Many fans and media pundits out there have continually blamed quarterback Mitch Trubisky’s performance on the field being the main reason why the Chicago Bears went from being 12-4 in 2018 to 8-8 last season. The criticism is certainly warranted, given Trubisky’s regression as a quarterback, but it’s not entirely justified to make Trubisky the lone scapegoat here.

Head coach Matt Nagy seemingly struggled to get into any sort of a good rhythm with his play-calling, while the offensive line couldn’t generate enough holes for runners to power through. Furthermore, Khalil Mack and the entire defense struggled to generate the type of impact they produced in 2018 when they led the league in turnovers created.

Most notably, however, was the fact that the Bears just couldn’t rid themselves from the injury bug all season long. Akiem Hicks, Kyle Long, Trey Burton, Anthony Miller, and a whole cast of noteworthy players on the roster couldn’t stay healthy throughout the season. Add all of these factors up, and it’s no wonder the Bears found themselves back to being a .500 team, missing the postseason in disappointing fashion.

Recently, Tarik Cohen opened up to the Chicago Sun-Times about the grueling effects that the physicality of the season brings.

"‘I’ve been doing yoga now, stretching more often and just like the small training room — in-house things you do to keep your body durable,’’ he said. ‘‘And to keep the wear-and-tear of the season off of you longer.’’ Cohen later added: ‘‘I really slacked on that. I always had older guys that would keep me on that, keep me in line.’’"

Cohen’s noteworthy comments here reflect how the entire 2019 season played out for the Bears. It’s entirely possible that the Bears as a unit felt high-and-mighty from their previous success, therefore not displaying the same focus and intensity, whether on the field or during team workouts, that propelled them to a division title. Cohen also mentioned that reliable veteran players like running back Benny Cunningham weren’t around last season to keep him focused on taking care of his body.

The Bears, despite their previous success under Matt Nagy, seemingly had a void in leadership in 2019, possibly because many impact players were hurt on the sidelines, focusing more on their own rehab as opposed to being on the field practicing and playing in actual games. Maybe like Cohen, it’s because they too didn’t properly take care of their bodies.

It all comes down to doing all the little things necessary to avoid these types of hurdles that plague teams like the Bears who were seemingly on the rise before the 2019 season began. That means the Bears can no longer be complacent because they’re no longer the ones being hunted in their own division. Whether it’s in practice, during workouts, or once the games actually matter, the Bears must not take anything lightly from here on out if they want to get back to winning frequently again.