People have pigeonholed Tarik Cohen into his own personal role as a sort of “specialty” running back. Somebody who can’t be the focal point of an offense but is a dangerous weapon in certain situations. Why? Mostly because he’s 5’6 and size is what always determines great football players. Except no. It doesn’t.
Cohen is so much more than just a gimmick player. He’s special and his performance in New York proved it. The Bears were dead in the water by the start of the 4th quarter. They were down 24-14. The offense was floundering as Chase Daniel continued to make costly mistakes. It looked like they were dead in the water.
That is until Cohen took over. He had four enormous plays in the game including three catches for over 20 yards and the touchdown pass that tied the score to force overtime. He had 186 total yards on the afternoon including 156 through the air, becoming only the second player in NFL history to go over 150 receiving and also throwing a TD. The other? That was Jerry Rice.
Tarik Cohen is an offensive star and there is no arguing it
Think about this. Cohen had 723 offensive yards from scrimmage last season in one of the most archaic systems the Bears have ever run. This year? He is at 974 through 12 games with seven touchdowns total. That is more than Keenan Allen, Travis Kelce, Antonio Brown, Stefon Diggs, T.Y. Hilton, and Emmanuel Sanders just to name a few. That’s a slew of offensive talent right there. Some of the best in the NFL.
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Tarik Cohen is the definition of heart > height.
-Sent highlights to colleges daily in HS; never heard back
-Scouts didn’t take him seriously at 5'6"
-Almost enlisted in the Navy
-One D-I offer (NC A&T)
-Smallest RB at 2017 combine
-4th-round pick
-Game-breaking NFL weapon pic.twitter.com/XzCUk9mFwU
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 2, 2018
A healthy chunk of it was also done with Chase Daniel as his quarterback. This kid isn’t just a part-time offensive player who is primarily a special teams ace. No matter how much the Pro Bowl voters would like you to think. Cohen is a legitimate force who deserves recognition for being a genuine game-changing threat. Which he is.
Sooner or later people will stop trying to place him into this perceived box that backs his size go into because they’re small. He’s not them. He’s better than them. A lot better. He may be 5’6 but he plays 6’5. The guy doesn’t take plays off and always seems to light the spark right when his team needs him the most. To think the Bears got him in the 4th round last year. It’s fast becoming one of their biggest-ever steals.
