David Montgomery’s Week 2 workload makes Tarik Cohen’s contract more puzzling

Tarik Cohen got a new contract right before Sunday’s game.

The Chicago Bears have a ton of faith in Tarik Cohen. The running back debuted with the team in 2017 and entered 2020 on the final year of his deal. That changed Sunday when he got a brand new three-year, $17.25 million extension.

This keeps him as the highest-paid running back on the team ahead of David Montgomery and should mean he gets the bulk of the touches. That was not the case Sunday when his counterpart had a much larger workload in the win over the New York Giants.

Montgomery getting more plays than Cohen

Cohen finished with five carries for 12 yards and one reception for 15 yards on one target. Montgomery had 16 carries for 82 yards and three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown. All while earning just under $700,000 this season.

Cohen has not been a bad player, but he has also not been a star. The 5-foot-6 back’s career high in rushing yards was 444 during the 2018 season. That same year saw him finish with 725 receiving yards, which is also a top mark for him. That was the only time he eclipsed 1,000 yards from scrimmage.

Montgomery was the featured runner in 2019 and that remains true this season. He ran for 889 yards on 242 carries last season. Cohen was handed the ball just 64 times.

The strategy may be to pay Cohen until Montgomery needs a new contract in 2023. Then the younger back can get his money and the Bears won’t be paying two backs significant money. It is just odd to see Cohen get the money when he isn’t being used all that much in Matt Nagy’s offense. He is essentially coasting off his 2018 season two years later.

Getting a new contract did not mean Cohen was magically going to turn into a star on offense. But the new money is not worth it if Nagy doesn’t find a way to give Cohen 12-15 touches per game. If that will not happen, the Bears front office may have just overpaid the second-best running back on the roster.