The last time new Carolina Panthers running back Tarik Cohen was on an NFL field, he had special teams coordinator Chris Tabor by his side. And now that they’ve been reunited in Charlotte, that could be the case for the next time.
Tabor spoke with reporters a day after the team officially added Cohen to their practice squad. When asked of how the former All-Pro punt returner looked in his workout from Tuesday, Tabor said the following:
“He did real well. I think that we all worked together. I think there was kinda just one of those deals, I mean, Tarik is close and have the opportunities—he’s comin’ back. Just kinda see where he’s at. I think we do that with a lot of players. But I’m glad that he worked out well and now just tryin’ to get him goin’ a little bit.”
Cohen’s last NFL snap came under Tabor and the Chicago Bears in 2020, on a punt return during their Week 3 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. The play would unfortunately result in ACL and MCL tears as well as tibial plateau fracture.
He’d go on to miss the remainder of that season as well as the succeeding one. Cohen then tore his Achilles during a workout session last spring, forcing him to miss the 2022 campaign.
And now, Tabor—who always felt like he’s had a connection to Cohen—is just glad he’s back at it.
“He means a lot to me,” he added. “He’s such a . . . we know he’s a good player—but more importantly, he’s a great person. And he’s been through a lot. He sustained his injury on a punt return down in Atlanta. So I always, selfishly, felt responsible for that. And I was just so happy just to watch him work out and see him run and move around and that’s just kinda part of the deal.”
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