CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears are releasing running back Tarik Cohen with an injury designation, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Cohen, 26, missed 31 games over the last two years after tearing his right ACL in Week 3 of the 2020 season. Next week, $2.5 million of Cohen’s $3.9 million base salary would have become fully guaranteed for injury on the third day of the league year.
General manager Ryan Poles would not disclose whether Cohen was healthy when asked about the running back’s status last week at the NFL scouting combine.
“I don’t really want to get into the medical piece of individual players, but we’ll just take it a day at a time to figure out where he’s at for us,” Poles said.
The former North Carolina A&T player was drafted in the fourth round by Chicago in 2017, sharing the backfield with former Bears running back Jordan Howard for two seasons. Cohen earned first-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, when he rushed 99 times for 444 yards and three touchdowns and caught 71 passes for 725 yards and five scores.
Chicago signed Cohen to a three-year, $17.25 million contract extension in September 2020.