The Chicago Bears have gotten off to a flawless 3-0 start through the NFL season’s first few weeks, but will now have to move forward without one of their most dangerous offensive weapons. RB Tarik Cohen exited Sunday’s game versus the Atlanta Falcons with a knee injury and an MRI on Monday morning revealed the scatback had suffered a torn ACL, according to Chicago head coach Matt Nagy. Cohen will require season-ending knee surgery.
Coach Nagy confirms Tarik Cohen did tear his ACL and will be placed on IR for the remainder of the season. ?
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 28, 2020
Even though Tarik Cohen wasn’t the primary ball carrier for the Chicago Bears, he held down an important role within Nagy’s offensive scheme. Second-year back David Montgomery sits atop the depth chart as the starter but Cohen played plenty of snaps in passing situations from the slot or as a receiving option out of the backfield. Cohen had three receptions for 20 yards and 2 carries for 21 more yards prior to exiting Sunday’s game.
Though Cohen checks in as one of the smallest players in the NFL at only 5-foot-6, his elusiveness and ability to shrug off defenders has always been special. Cohen made the NFC Pro Bowl team and was voted as an All-Pro in 2018 for his effectiveness on special teams as a return man.
Now, the Bears will have to move forward without one of their playmakers on offense which could be hard to replace. Perhaps we see Nagy utilize another dynamic special teamer, Cordarelle Patterson, in Cohen’s role for the rest of the season but it remains to be seen. The Bears already announced that Nick Foles would remain the starting QB over Mitch Trubisky so the offense is set to look completely different for Week 4 and beyond.
