Would Bears Give Tarik Cohen a Tryout?

Away from football since early in the 2020 season, Tarik Cohen is ready to begin his comeback in earnest.

The former Bears gadget back and punt returner has been reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter as in the market for tryouts, per his agents Ryan Matha and Drew Rosenhaus.

Cohen was officially released by the Bears just before free agency in March of 2022 but didn't play in 2021 as he tried to come back from the severe injury he suffered while making a fair catch against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the 2020 season.

On the play, Cohen suffered a torn ACL, MCL and a fracture of the tibial plateau. Then, while initally trying to rehab the injury, he reportedly suffered a torn Achilles tendon.

@CHGO_Bears @AdamHoge @AdamHoge @NicholasMoreano Cohen got hurt again today during his IG live.. pic.twitter.com/gSMVwiApSA
— Jay.B (@JayBreezy1999) May 17, 2022

Cohen was the team's winner of the Ed Block Courage Award.

The 5-foot-6, 191-pound back had 1,101 yards rushin on 264 carries and 1,575 yards receiving on 209 catches during three-plus seasons for the Bears before his injuries. He scored five TDs rushing and nine receiving.

Cohen averaged 10.3 yards on 96 punt returns with one TD and 20.9 yards on 30 kick returns. He made the Pro Bowl and All-Pro in 2018 as a return man.

As it happens, the Bears could use a punt returner now as Velus Jones Jr. continues to struggle with the task of fielding the ball. However, they have options within the roster to do it if they feel Jones can't handle it. They even tried DJ Moore in recent practices at doing it.

Former Bears’ RB Tarik Cohen, who missed the 2021 season while recovering from an ACL injury and was out of football last season recovering, is now healthy and ready for NFL workouts, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha. At 28, Cohen wants to resume his NFL career.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 22, 2023

Tyrique Stevenson and Dante Pettis are potential options.

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