The Chicago Bears released their unofficial 53-man roster Wednesday morning. While there were no glaring roster spots that stood out, the fact that rookie Tarik Cohen is listed as the second-string running back is something that is hard to not admire.

Cohen was selected in the fourth round of this past NFL Draft by the Bears out of North Carolina A&T (gonna go out on a limb and say more than half of you, my self included, don’t know what the A&T stands for) and had a pretty solid preseason performance, rushing for 121 yards on 19 carries. Obviously the Bears are going to heavily revolve their offense around star running back Jordan Howard, but there is plenty of room for Cohen to contribute and shine, especially since Chicago just recently cut running back Jeremy Langford. Cohen will serve as a great change-of-pace back, especially in passing situations, and will bring a unique dynamic to the Bears offense. I know, he’s 5’6, real tiny dude in NFL-running back standards, but the kid can flat out run the ball. He ran for over 5,500 yards in college and was the MEAC’s most valuable player this past year. While many are only speaking about him because of his height and comparisons to NFL veteran Darren Sproles (because they’re both short), many should be talking about him because of what he can do on the field, and the potential he has to be a big time player in the league. Even as a 5’6 rookie, I feel as if Jordan Howard were to go down for whatever reason, Cohen would be able to carry the load and prosper under the role. Enough from me, I’ll let The Human Joystick’s highlights speak for themselves: