Tarik Cohen may have gone criminally underutilized under John Fox last season, but the opposite appears to be true for his 2018 fortunes. His “Usage” Score is set to skyrocket under the creative and aggressive Matt Nagy, who reportedly lined Cohen up all over the field during OTAs, while the shifty, explosive tailback has spent time learning every position possible.
Despite ranking as PFF’s top “Breakaway Threat” after over 50% his runs went for 15+ yards, Cohen received only 87 carries and 140 total touches. These numbers should skyrocket under Nagy, who’s “giddy” about all the ways he can maximize Cohen’s explosiveness and versatility, stating, “We’ll have some fun with him.” OTAs provided glimpses of this increased usage, where Cohen was “arguably… busier learning coach Matt Nagy’s offense than anybody except quarterback Mitch Trubisky.” The sophomore back was reportedly “all over the field — running inside and outside, coming out of the backfield on pass plays, pass-protecting and lining up as a wide receiver.” Cohen perfectly fits the “Reid” mold as an elite receiver (Nagy stating – “You may look like you can run routes, but can you really run routes? He’s able to run routes”) –– ideal, considering backfield mate Jordan Howard is among the worst receiving backs in the league. Finally free from Fox’s shackles, and now under the perfect coach to capitalize on his skillset, Cohen’s 77th ADP is going to look foolish come the end of 2018.
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