The Chicago Bears shook up the running back room ahead of the 2019 season, but jitterbug back Tarik Cohen doesn't expect his role to change much in his second season under coach Matt Nagy.
"I feel like I'm going to be doing the same things I was doing last year," Cohen told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "My role is not going to change. I feel like I still have to be the receiving back, come in, be the change-of-pace back, running the ball, be that speedy guy. So, I'm just prepared for anything, however I get the ball."
The Bears RB overhaul included trading Jordan Howard to Philadelphia in exchange for a postcard of the Liberty Bell, and adding free agent Mike Davis and rookie David Montgomery. Both the additions project as early-down ball carriers leaving Cohen to eat up the passing situations, much as he did last season.
While Cohen's overall role might not change a ton, he could see fewer targets out of the backfield with Davis and Montgomery both projecting as better pass-catchers than Howard. An upgraded receiving corps with Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, a healthy Anthony Miller, free agent Cordarrelle Patterson and rookie Riley Ridley could also take some targets away from Cohen, who had 71 receptions for 725 yards and five TDs in 2018.
Even if Cohen's backfield targets dip, the running back expects Nagy's creativity to help him produce.
"Coach Nagy is a mad scientist," Cohen said. "He's going to get people all over the place. For me, it's great because I can mismatch with a lot of different matchups. So, for anybody in this offense, he's going to find a way to get you open and put you in the best situation."
With all the added pieces to a still-growing offense, Cohen might not see a sizable uptick in his target share, but Nagy will certainly find a way to use the jitterbug's world-class speed and shiftiness to his advantage with motions, shifts and getting the back in space.
