Tag: Tarik Cohen

Chris Tabor on Tarik Cohen: He means a lot to me

Panthers ST coordinator Chris Tabor spoke about his connection with Tarik Cohen on Thursday.

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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Tarik Cohen: I was playing Playstation when Panthers called to sign me

Tarik Cohen admitted that he was playing his Playstation when the Panthers called to sign him yesterday.

Tarik Cohen hasn’t even been a member of the Carolina Panthers for a day, but we already get the feeling that you’re going to love him.

The 28-year-old running back took questions from reporters in the locker room this afternoon, shortly after his addition to the practice squad was made official. But what was he doing when he heard the news himself?

Well, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, Cohen was playing some Playstation when he got the call about his signing.

Cohen, who has not played an NFL down since Week 3 of the 2020 season, worked out for the Panthers on Tuesday. And that, apparently, was good enough for the eyes of head coach Frank Reich and company.

“. . . he looked good out there,” Reich said during his pre-practice presser. “Obviously, it’s been a while. Obviously, very bad injury. So, to his credit, felt a lot of good energy from him like he’s ready to play some football.”

The Bunn, N.C. native and North Carolina A&T State University product also spoke about the importance of making his comeback at home.

“I just felt like I wanted to come full circle,” he told Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz. “I was raised here, grew up playing football in North Carolina. I just felt like I needed to be here and this is the place for me.”

So, uh, we may have a hunch as to what Cohen is going to do in his downtime following practice today.

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Frank Reich speaks on signing of Tarik Cohen

Panthers HC Frank Reich was excited to see Tarik Cohen hit the field on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers announced the addition of running back Tarik Cohen—officially signing the former All-Pro to their practice squad. So, head coach Frank Reich was able to speak on the move.

“I was really excited to see him out there for the workout,” he said with a smile during this afternoon’s presser. “I remember when he was with the Bears—just watching him and just like, ‘Man, this guy is . . . he is different.’ Not only physically is he different, but his quickness and as a runner. I coached Darren Sproles—so a very similar type player—and I felt like there’s a little bit of that in him. And a dynamic returner as well.

“So, he looked good out there. Obviously, it’s been a while. Obviously, very bad injury. So, to his credit, felt a lot of good energy from him like he’s ready to play some football.”

Cohen, who has not played an NFL down since Week 3 of the 2020 campaign, worked out for the Panthers on Tuesday. The 5-foot-6, 191-pounder is on his way back from a handful of devastating injuries—including tears to his ACL and MCL, a tibial plateau fracture and a torn Achilles tendon.

Reich was then asked if he has an idea of if or when Cohen could be moved to the active roster.

“I think, probably, it’s a few weeks of him getting back in football shape,” he replied. “And then, he may or may not be active. It just depends on how things are going. There’s not a definite plan to bring him up. We’re happy with the guys that we have. But we also like the fact that he’s ready to play football, and that he physically looks like he’s back to his old, explosive. So I think we have a few weeks to kinda figure that out.”

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Panthers make signing of Tarik Cohen official on Wednesday

The Panthers have made the addition of former Bears RB and 2018 All-Pro Tarik Cohen official.

It’s officially comeback season for Tarik Cohen.

As announced on Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers have signed the former Chicago Bears running back to their practice squad. Reports of the addition first popped up last night, following the 28-year-old’s workout for the team just hours earlier.

Cohen, a Bunn, N.C. native and North Carolina A&T State University product, was a fourth-round pick of the Bears back in 2017. He’d go on to spend four seasons in the Windy City, including his standout 2018 campaign—where he earned First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods for his work in the return game.

In addition to his prowess on special teams, the 5-foot6, 191-pounder also proved to be an offensive threat. Cohen notched 1,101 rushing yards, 1,575 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns out of the backfield for the Bears.

He spent three of those seasons in Chicago under current Panthers special teams coach Chris Tabor. So if Carolina is still searching for a return man—and perhaps even a spark on offense—the electric ball carrier could have himself a strong advocate in his path back to an NFL field.

Cohen has not played in a regular-season game since Chicago’s Week 3 contest of the 2020 campaign, where he sustained ACL and MCL tears as well as a tibial plateau fracture while taking back a punt. He also tore his Achilles tendon during a workout session last spring.

The Panthers also added wide receiver Mike Strachan to the group. To make room for the additions, the team released running back Spencer Brown and placed cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III on practice squad injured reserve (hamstring).

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Panthers reportedly signing RB Tarik Cohen to practice squad

The Panthers are reportedly adding RB Tarik Cohen to the practice squad.

The Carolina Panthers may be adding a little spark to the room.

As first reported by ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter (and not too long after a tweet from a certain significant other), the Panthers are planning on inking running back Tarik Cohen to their practice squad. Per Schefter, the signing should be made official on Wednesday.

A former fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears, Cohen earned First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors for his return prowess in 2018. He also recorded 1,101 rushing yards, 1,575 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns on offense in his four years with the Bears.

Cohen, who was in for a workout on Tuesday, has not played in an NFL game since the 2020 campaign. That season, the 5-foot-6, 191-pound back sustained tears to his ACL and MCL as well as a tibial plateau fracture when he was tackled on a punt return against the Atlanta Falcons.

He would then tear his Achilles tendon during a training session in the spring of 2022. Cohen announced this past summer that he’d be attempting an NFL comeback upon being medically cleared.

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Former Bears RB Tarik Cohen expected to sign with Panthers practice squad

Former Bears RB Tarik Cohen is ready for his return to the NFL, and he’s getting his chance with the Panthers.

Update: Tarik Cohen is expected to sign with the Panthers, according to Adam Schefter, pending a physical.

Former Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen worked out for the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday, according to Field Yates.

Cohen suffered a torn ACL on a punt return in 2020. He struggled to return from the injury, which caused him to miss the entire 2021 season, and Chicago released him with an injury designation last summer. Cohen continued to rehab, but he unfortunately suffered a setback during training, tearing his Achilles in May 2022.

But following plenty of ups and downs, Cohen is healthy and ready for his return to the NFL. And it sounds like the Panthers are willing to give him that chance.

Cohen, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, was a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands — whether it was on offense or special teams as a punt returner. He signed a three-year, $17.25 million extension with the Bears just before his knee injury during the 2020 season.

If Cohen indeed signs with Carolina, he’d have an opportunity to face his former team when the Bears battle the Panthers on Thursday Night Football on Nov. 9.

Panthers work out former Bears RB Tarik Cohen on Tuesday

The Panthers worked out former Bears RB and 2018 All-Pro returner Tarik Cohen on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers had a local boy in the building on Tuesday. Oh, and he’s also a former First-team All-Pro.

Per the league transaction wire, the Panthers worked out former Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen. The 5-foot-6, 191-pounder was joined in his visit by cornerback Lamar Jackson, who signed with the team’s practice squad this afternoon.

A Bunn, N.C. native, Cohen attended North Carolina A&T State University from 2013 to 2016. He’d prove to be one of college football’s most electric players during that span—collecting a myriad of honors including three First-team All-MEAC selections, three MEAC Offensive Player of the Year nods, the 2016 Deacon Jones Trophy and the spot atop the MEAC all-time leading rushers list.

Cohen would then be taken by the Bears in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. His 2018 All-Pro campaign also saw him notch a trip to the Pro Bowl after leading the league in punt returns (33) and punt return yards (411).

Over his four years in Chicago, three of which came alongside current Panthers special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, Cohen fielded 96 punts and 30 kickoffs. He also recorded 1,101 rushing yards, 1,575 receiving yards and 14 total touchdowns.

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Don’t expect a Tarik Cohen reunion with Bears

Former Bears RB Tarik Cohen is healthy and ready for NFL action. Just don’t expect it with Chicago.

Former Bears running back Tarik Cohen is looking to make his return to NFL action after suffering a knee injury that derailed his career in 2020.

Cohen struggled to return from injury, which caused him to miss the entire 2021 season. He was released in March 2022. Cohen continued to rehab, but he unfortunately suffered a setback during training, tearing his Achilles in May 2022.

While Cohen is healthy and ready to restart his NFL career, don’t expect a reunion with the Bears, as the former Pro Bowler made it clear they’re not interested in signing him.

“Chicago don’t want me,” Cohen said on Twitch Tuesday night.

Cohen said the Bears “hurt my heart, hurt my feelings” when they cut him last summer with an injury designation.

“I had just bought a house, just bought a [bleeping] house, and I cut [bleeping] cut,” Cohen said. “I got sniped.”

Cohen hasn’t played since Sept. 27, 2020, when he tore his ACL returning a punt against the Falcons.

Given the introduction of a new regime with general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, a reunion doesn’t really make sense anyway.

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Tarik Cohen’s NFL comeback attempt is an inspiring story worth rooting for this season

It’d be so heartwarming to see Tarik Cohen playing in the NFL again.

After nearly three full seasons away from the professional game, Tarik Cohen will be making an NFL comeback attempt this year. The news of Cohen’s latest efforts to return to the league comes per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

And Cohen’s story — which he once detailed in a heartbreaking Players’ Tribune article — is something everyone should be rooting for this fall.

There was once a time when Cohen was one of the NFL’s most electric players. As a member of the Chicago Bears, Cohen was a productive big-play machine, recording 2600-plus yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns on just over 470 touches in four seasons. The Bears leaned on the diminutive but electric back as a genuine focal point of their offense. If Chicago needed a first-down conversion or a chunk play, chances are Cohen’s No. 29 jersey was being dialed. And he almost always delivered.

But then Cohen tore his ACL early in Chicago’s 2020 campaign, and everything changed. And when attempting to make his comeback in the ensuing years, Cohen’s brothers, Tyrell and Dante, died in separate incidents in 2021 and 2022. Chicago would officially release Cohen in March 2022, and he tore his Achilles tendon shortly after, casting his long-term NFL future into doubt.

On a professional and personal level, Cohen has seen more than his fair share of adversity in recent years. As he tries a comeback, there’s no guarantee he will find his way onto an NFL roster, let alone make any on-field impact. But it would be so touching to see Cohen make a wholehearted effort to return and succeed. Even if he likely isn’t the same player that he once was, it’s not about playing at an elite level again.

It’s about showing he still belongs in one of the most exclusive sports leagues in the world and that he’s so much more than the trials he’s suffered through lately. Who can’t relate to that?

Former Bears RB Tarik Cohen healthy, ready for return to NFL

It’s been a rough few years for former Bears RB Tarik Cohen, but he’s now healthy and ready to resume his NFL career.

It’s been a difficult couple of years for former Bears running back Tarik Cohen, whose NFL career has been derailed by a torn ACL suffered on a punt return in 2020.

Cohen struggled to return from the injury, which caused him to miss the entire 2021 season, and Chicago released him with an injury designation last summer. Cohen continued to rehab, but he unfortunately suffered a setback during training, tearing his Achilles in May 2022.

After a whirlwind of injuries and emotions, it sounds like Cohen is finally back on track. According to his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Ryan Matha, via Adam Schefter, Cohen is now healthy and ready for his return to the NFL.

Cohen, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, was a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands — whether it was on offense or special teams as a punt returner. He signed a three-year extension worth $17.25 million just before his knee injury during the 2020 season.

The hope is Cohen, 28, will find a new home and get his NFL career back on track after a brutal couple of years.

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