The Chicago Bears know they have at least one viable weapon at running back in David Montgomery. They also did some solid work adding to their depth with the arrivals of Damien Williams in free agency and Khalil Herbert in the draft. Yet the big X-factor people are hoping for centers on the return of Tarik Cohen. Their offensive and special teams sparkplug was missed most of last season after suffering a torn ACL.
It was hoped he’d be ready to go for training camp. However, it seems there are rumblings that the fifth-year back might not quite be ready yet. According to Adam Levitan of the Daily Herald, Cohen did not participate in either OTAs or minicamp practices. This would seem to suggest his knee isn’t fully recovered yet. That would go a long way towards explaining why the Bears were so active in bolstering the running back spot.
They may fear he won’t be at 100% for some time to come.
Been some whispers around CHI that Tarik Cohen (ACL) isn't quite there yet in terms of health. Worth watching closely at camp, would impact David Montgomery floor/ceiling significantly. https://t.co/IegfX5zMDQ
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) July 9, 2021
This shouldn’t be a huge surprise. ACL injuries might be easier to recover from these days, but they still take a long time to heal. It isn’t unheard of for players to not regain their peak form until two years after the injury. So it’s a bit unreasonable for Bears fans to just assume that Cohen would be back to his old self right away.
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Having that deeper depth chart is where the Bears have done some smart offseason work. Now they don’t have to put too much on Cohen’s plate right away. They can ease him into things while giving others a chance to contribute. The worst they can do is rush him back before he feels comfortable on that knee, potentially leading to another setback.
Tarik Cohen certainly hasn’t lost his ability to trash talk
There were hints he was doing it plenty at minicamps. While Roquan Smith was breaking up a wheel route play during drills, he turned to the offensive sideline and shouted that nobody runs a wheel on him. He then pointed at Cohen shouting, “‘Rik! ‘Rik!” while trotting away laughing. No doubt Cohen was jabbering at him the whole time. So it is nice to see he hasn’t lost that trademark swagger.
It is merely a question of time and how the Bears use him. Will they keep him on punt return duty or maybe give it to somebody else? That depends on how comfortable Tarik Cohen feels. A lot will be determined over the next two months between training camp and the preseason. If he still looks less than 100%, the coaches are certain to limit his snaps until that changes
Until then? It is likely the Montgomery Show.
That isn’t a terrible thing. The Bears’ offense really showed signs of life last season when they committed to feeding Monty. He also demonstrated how underrated he is as a pass-catcher. While not the electric weapon Cohen is, the backfield shouldn’t suffer without him. When he does return to his old form? This offense will be more diverse and dangerous than ever.
