EXTRA POINTS

First impressions

From timeouts to challenges to scheduling, the Bears’ five-game preseason helped Matt Nagy get a feel for his entire game-day operation as a head coach.

But offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich also got a feel for what it’s like to coach in the NFL. The five exhibitions were his first games at the pro level after spending his entire coaching career in the college ranks, including eight years at Oregon.

“The games were a lot faster, a lot less plays,” Helfrich said. “Just the lapsed time of the game is a lot different. But it’s football. It comes down to the same stuff.”

Still, Helfrich needed to experience the differences.

“I love preseason games,” he said. “They’re a little weird when the result isn’t the most necessary measure of everything. But we got a ton done. We experimented with a bunch. I think we found out what some guys are, [what] we have 100 percent confidence in, and some of the other stuff we may have thrown by the wayside. We covered a lot of ground.”

Keeping Cohen busy

Nagy has big plans for running back Tarik Cohen in his offense. But those plans won’t limit Cohen on special teams. He’s still the Bears’ best returner.

“He can change the game,” special teams coordinator Chris Tabor said. “And he’s an intelligent football player.”

Last year, Cohen returned 26 kickoffs for 583 yards and 29 punts for 272 yards and a 61-yard touchdown. He also had 15 fair catches.

The Bears view punts, in particular, as another opportunity to get the ball in his hands.

Tabor compared Cohen to Chiefs star Tyreek Hill, who handled punts and kickoffs as a rookie but only fielded punts last season as he developed into a game-changing Pro Bowl receiver for Nagy’s Chiefs offense.

“[The punt return is] a dynamic play,” Tabor said. “It’s a player [Cohen] that’s quick and fast out in open space. It’s another opportunity for him.”