(670 The Score) At the end of a grueling and disappointing season, Bears running back Tarik Cohen felt the toll.
Cohen experienced pain in his hips and lower back late in the campaign, and he wasn't a dynamic threat in coach Matt Nagy's offense.
"My body was deteriorating faster than I would normally feel," Cohen said.
Since then, the 24-year-old Cohen has taken up yoga with the hope of enhancing his durability this offseason. It's part of his vision for a better 2020.
At his best in 2018, Cohen averaged 6.2 yards per rushing attempt, 10.2 yards per reception and 6.9 yards per touch. In 2019, Cohen averaged career-lows with 3.3 yards per rushing attempt, 5.8 yards per reception and 4.7 yards per touch, and a vital gadget in the Bears' offense was rendered ineffective.
"The beauty of sports, the beauty of life, to me (is) the people that move on and succeed are the ones that forget about that," Nagy said. "You don't live in the past. So I'll be really, really honest with you. That's gone. We don't care anymore about 2019. We don't care about 2018."
Cohen's focus is certainly on 2020, the final season of his rookie contract. Bears general manager Ryan Pace has never signed a running back that he drafted to a second contract.
Cohen is hoping to change that trend. As the Bears have been locked out of Halas Hall during a virtual offseason, Cohen joined quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and other teammates for private workouts. They're working through passing routes and continuing a chemistry built these last three seasons.
"It's definitely a motivating factor being that this is the year," Cohen said. "I feel like I can't put any pressure on nobody else. It's all on me."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
