The Chicago Bears fear running back Tarik Cohen suffered a torn right ACL in Sunday's 30-26 win over the Atlanta Falcons, coach Matt Nagy said after the game.
"Unfortunately, it looks like Tarik Cohen, after we get confirmation, looks like he did end up tearing his ACL," Nagy said on a video call. "So, that will be a big blow to us there with that, which is unfortunate."
Cohen suffered the injury on a punt return when Atlanta's Brian Hill got pushed into the back of his right leg, caused his knee to bend awkwardly. Cohen went to the ground and immediately clutched his right knee. The 5-foot-6 all-purpose threat was unable to put any pressure on his right leg when trainers help him off the field.
Cohen had two carries for 21 yards and three receptions for 20 yards before the injury.
"I love the guy, he's an important person on this team," Bears defensive lineman Akiem Hicks said. "Someone I have a lot of respect for, somebody that is dedicated to this team and that wants to be the best at what he does. He's all you can ask for in a teammate. He's the energy when we need it, he's the focus when you want it, he's just our guy."
The Bears signed Cohen to a three-year extension earlier this month. Cohen's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the deal is worth $17.25 million in new money ($5.75 million per year) with the opportunity to be worth $18.25 million at $6.093 million per year. Cohen's extension includes $9.533 million fully guaranteed and a $12.033 million max guarantee.
Cohen, 25, is an all-purpose threat on offense who earned a trip to the 2018 Pro Bowl as a return man on special teams. A fourth-round pick out of North Carolina A&T, he rushed for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns and caught 203 passes for 1,534 yards and nine scores over his first three seasons in Chicago (2017 to '19).
Cohen became the shortest player (5-foot-6) since 1934 to throw an NFL touchdown pass when he fired a 21-yard scoring strike as a rookie in 2017. He has two career touchdown passes overall. Also in 2017, Cohen became the first NFL rookie to score a rushing, a receiving, a passing and a punt-return touchdown since Hall of Famer Gale Sayers in 1965.