Saints ruthlessly mock Tarik Cohen for his small stature

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer
Updated

Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen has likely dealt with comments about his height his entire playing career. The 5-foot-6 speedster is among the smallest players in the game, and has been routinely comped to Darren Sproles. Cohen should be used to hearing opponents tease him for his height.

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And yet, it was still devastating to see the New Orleans Saints mock Cohen’s stature during Sunday’s game.

With the Bears down by 26 late in the fourth quarter, Cohen caught a short pass from Mitchell Trubisky, and took a huge hit from a defender. Cohen stayed on his feet, but was taken down before he could reach the line of scrimmage. After the play, Cohen pounded his chest and appeared to say something to the Saints defenders.

CHICAGO, IL - OCTOBER 20: Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen (29) is tackled by New Orleans Saints defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (22) in game action during a game between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints on October 20, 2019 at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Bears' Tarik Cohen (29) goes for a ride after getting tackled by Saints defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. (Getty Images)

Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerback Eli Apple responded by ruthlessly mocking Cohen’s height. Gardner-Johnson held up his arm at about shoulder length as if he was measuring up Cohen. Apple put his hand on Cohen’s head to show the size difference.

Those insults, while brutal, summed up the day for both teams. The Saints beat up on the Bears like an older sibling Sunday, winning the game 36-25. Cohen wasn’t much of a factor in the contest. He finished with three rushes for 10 yards and caught nine passes for 19 yards.

The day caps off a rough 24 hours for Cohen, who noticed Saturday that even “Madden 20” was kicking him while he was down.

He took notice of social media’s reaction to the Saints’ jokes and responded on Twitter, saying, “Y’all act like I don’t know I’m short”.

Like the rest of the Bears’ offense, Cohen has struggled to replicate last year’s numbers. After gaining 444 rushing yards last season, Cohen has run for just 44 yards over the first six games. Cohen also caught 71 balls for 725 yards last year. This year, Cohen has 29 catches for just 147 yards.

Cohen’s size hasn’t been much of a deterrent throughout his NFL career. He has elite speed, and is one of the game’s best playmakers. Those traits haven’t come through this season, as Cohen has been a casualty of a poor Bears offense.

Cohen and the Bears will look to get those offensive woes straightened out in Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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