Tarik Cohen deserves better.

He shouldn’t have to look up after a long return and see a flag. He shouldn’t have to spend his time after games answering questions about what it feels like to see all his work go for naught.

Cohen is confident enough that he doesn’t mind his many different roles or being a focal point for an opposing defense, but — to echo the coaches — it is a lot, especially for a fourth-round rookie from North Carolina A&T. And Cohen can’t catch a break. As electrifying as his rookie season has been, his teammates have cost him big plays, and a coaching staff has cost him opportunities on the field.

General manager Ryan Pace should have a three-fold New Year’s resolution when it comes to Cohen, the team’s most explosive playmaker.

1. Find a coaching staff that will utilize him more often, and better, in the offense

2. Continue to add depth and talent on offense and special teams to avoid penalties that take away his big plays

3. Make sure Cohen gets the most out of his first full offseason so he’s better acclimated to his roles

Cohen’s 90-yard return in Detroit, called back because of a holding penalty on DeAndre Houston-Carson, was the latest. Standing with a group of reporters around Cohen following the game was deja vu to two weeks prior, when his 67-yard punt return vs. the 49ers was nullified.

“It’s like, ‘Dang, you almost had one,’” Cohen said Saturday about his reaction to seeing the flag, which he spotted right when he got up.

This is an image the Bears have seen too often this season, and one they want to eliminate as they continue to get explosive plays out of Cohen.

“We’ve been close. One play here or there. Really, that punt return like you said, really summed it up,” Cohen said after the San Francisco game about the punt return that wasn’t. “One little mistake can cost us the game.”

Give Cohen those two punt returns, and the Bears are suddenly second in the NFL in yards per punt return as opposed to 14th.

How often has Cohen had a big play called back? He’s had a great rookie season, but how much better could it have been? In his column for the Chicago Tribune, David Haugh suggested a YAF stat for Cohen, yards after flag. Well, here it goes.

Cohen has had nine plays of at least 10 yards negated by a penalty. The Bears have nullified 241 of Cohen’s yards and been flagged on 281 of his yards (spot-of-the-flag calls make up the difference).

Opponent Play Nullified Yards Penalty Pittsburgh 28-yard punt return 28 Holding on Roy Robertson-Harris at Green Bay 15-yard run 15 Holding on Josh Sitton at Green Bay 20-yard run 20 Holding on Michael Burton Carolina 10-yard catch 10 Illegal formation on Tanner Gentry Green Bay 11-yard run 11 Holding on Josh Bellamy San Francisco 25-yard catch 19 Holding on Charles Leno San Francisco 67-yard punt return 60 Illegal block above the waist on Ben Braunecker at Cincinnati 15-yard catch 12 Illegal block above the waist on Tom Compton at Detroit 90-yard kickoff return 66 Holding on DeAndre Houston-Carson

It hasn’t been just one or two players making the mistakes. The nine penalties that have nullified Cohen’s big plays have been charged to nine different Bears. Only three — Braunecker, Compton and Gentry — are not regular players and were subs in their spots, so the excuse can’t be that backups made the mistakes.

It’s not only the penalties themselves, it’s what they do to the Bears’ offense. Of those 10 penalties, the Bears bounced back to score on the ensuing or current possession only twice — a field goal in Cincinnati and a field goal against Green Bay. Six of those penalties occurred before or during a Bears drive that resulted in a punt.

(Of course, the Bears punt a lot, but it’s worth noting how much these penalties are drive-killers).

Certainly not every call was the right one, but on Saturday night in Detroit, Houston-Carson got enough of a grab on the jersey to help spring Cohen.

After the game, Houston-Carson sat at his locker stall staring straight ahead for several minutes. He was despondent. One of the team’s bright spots on special teams since joining the active roster, his value in the third phase is the main reason he was a sixth-round pick. The penalty was uncharacteristic.

Cohen isn’t the only Bear this season to have a big play wiped out because of a penalty committed by a teammate. Jordan Howard had a 42-yard touchdown run vs. Minnesota called back because of a Markus Wheaton hold. In the same game, a Tre McBride 26-yard catch was called back for a Cody Whitehair hold. Both those drives ended in punts, and the Bears lost by three.

According to NFLPenalties.com, the Bears are tied with the Texans for the league lead in holding penalties with 26. In 2015, they led the league with 35 holding penalties and they were 10th with 26 holds last season.

Those 26 holding penalties have negated 295 yards. The Bears are 30th in the NFL with 295.7 yards per game. Think they could have used some of those nullified yards?

Heading into Monday night’s Falcons-Buccaneers game, the Bears have had 424 yards wiped away by penalties, by far the most in the league. The team with the second-most nullified yards? The Steelers, with 337.

We can take this one step further as to how this has impacted Cohen. Remember those 241 Cohen yards negated by penalties? If Cohen was his own team, he would rank 13th in the NFL in nullified yards. Think about that — the Bears have nullified more Cohen yards this season than 20 teams have for their entire roster.

The penalties that have cost Cohen big plays aren’t generally products of a lack of discipline, but poor technique. A player is out of position and in a desperate attempt to make a block, he grabs a jersey.

Players blocking with poor technique? That can fall on a coaching staff. Players that aren’t good enough to avoid being in a position where a penalty is likely? That falls on the GM. This personnel staff has put more of an emphasis in special teams players (well, except for kickers) than the previous GM, which has helped Cohen and the return game as a whole, but the mistakes are amplified when the team is 4-10.

Here’s hoping Cohen can enjoy a few long runs and returns in the final two games without having to turn back to the field and see a flag. It’s become too common an occurrence for a team that can’t get out of its own way.

(Top photo: AP Photo/Paul Sancya)