The Carolina Panthers have added a player in Tarik Cohen who was once among the most explosive players in the NFL.
According to Jordan Schultz, Cohen has agreed to a contract with Carolina pending a physical.
If this name rings a bell, that’s because it should. A fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears out of North Carolina A&T back in 2017, Cohen jumped on to the scene as an explosive playmaker on offense and special teams.
From 2017-19, he recorded 2,561 yards from scrimmage at a clip of 5.7 yards while scoring 14 touchdowns. In 2018, Cohen led the NFL with 411 punt returns yards while averaging 12.5 per.
That very same season saw him record 444 rushing yards to go with 79 receptions through the air en route to earning All-Pro honors.
Weeks after signing a three-year, $17.25 million extension with Chicago in September of 2019, Cohen suffered tears to his ACL and MCL as well as tibial plateau fracture. It was seen as potentially career ending. Cohen ultimately missed the 2021 season. In an attempting to make a comeback last year, Cohen ruptured his Achilles during a workout on an IG Live video. He had announced his latest comeback this past August.
Carolina Panthers add a new weapon for Bryce Young
Assuming Cohen is 100% and ready to go, he should give rookie quarterback Bryce Young more weapons to work with.
It was a struggle for the youngster in a Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Wide receivers DJ Chark and Terrace Marshall Jr. were sidelined to injury with fellow pass-catcher Adam Thielen limited to injury himself. The end result was Young completing 20-of-38 passes for a mere 146 yards in a 24-10 defeat.
While it will take Tarik Cohen some time to get into game shape, his previous experience speaks for itself. But more than anything, it’s pretty awesome to see him return to the NFL after suffering such serious injuries.