Chicago Bears: Tarik Cohen’s knee rehab update not a good sign

Though the offseason has largely been dominated by that of the quarterback discussion, Chicago Bears training camp has provided plenty of other storylines.

One of those revolves around the rehab in which running back Tarik Cohen is continuing to walk through. Last year, Cohen tore his ACL in a Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons.

Now amidst his 10th month of rehab, Cohen is still not cleared to resume practice with his teammates. A recent update also suggests that he’s not as close to a return as some may have originally thought.

According to The Chicago Sun-Times, Cohen will still be out weeks rather than just days. While this is tough news to hear, the Bears are still hopeful Cohen will be back for the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in prime time.

It might be a while before the Chicago Bears see a fully healthy Tarik Cohen.

Just because Cohen could be back for the season opener does not mean he will get a full workload like he would be accustomed to. Before the injury, Cohen was used to getting roughly 8-10 touches per game, whether that be carries or receptions.

His last healthy season, Cohen topped the 100-target mark with 104 in 2019. He is an integral part of this offense, whether it be on the ground or through the air.

With the addition of veteran running back Damien Williams, it’s likely that Cohen will be used less on the ground and more as a gadget type, which head coach Matt Nagy seems to prefer.

"“He showed in ’18 the different ways you can use him,” Nagy said. “The coordinators I talked to, that was one of the No. 1 guys everyone wanted to stop.” (Sun-Times)"

Now with a mobile quarterback like Justin Fields, who will undoubtedly take over at some point this year, the Bears could open things up for Cohen. The focus will shift to stopping a quarterback who can beat you on the ground, therefore defenses will have a much tougher time game-planning for the Bears — at least, that’s the hope.

In the mean time, it is Williams along with veteran Ryan Nall and rookie Khalil Herbert taking the bulk of the remaining snaps left by Cohen. Obviously, the plan is for David Montgomery to get 20 carries per game and be the team’s primary runner. But, Nagy will use the other backs in a variety of ways like he does with Cohen.

The Bears now have a little over five weeks before they take on the Rams in Los Angeles. Their first preseason action comes in 11 days when they square off with the Miami Dolphins in a home tilt at noon. Hopefully, Cohen can at least be in uniform when Week 1 rolls around.