New Panthers RB Tarik Cohen Shares His Comeback Story

Tarik Cohen has his son to thank for his latest opportunity.

On Tuesday, the Panthers signed former All-Pro kick returner and running back Tarik Cohen. Cohen has been out of the league since September of 2020 when he tore his ACL, MCL, and fractured his tibia. He missed the entire 2021 season rehabbing that injury and then missed all of 2022 after tearing his Achilles in a personal workout.

Cohen has long been a fan favorite due to his explosiveness combined with his diminutive stature. In his All-Pro season, the North Carolina A&T alumnus ran for 444 yards and three touchdowns, and caught 71 passes for 725 yards and five touchdowns, all while leading the league in punt return yardage for the Chicago Bears. In week 13, Cohen became the first player ever with at least 30 rushing yards, 150 receiving yards, and a passing touchdown in a game.

However, Cohen’s numerous injuries had him wondering if he would ever get back to the explosive athlete who took the league by storm in 2019. “Mentally I see myself as a strong person, disciplined person. And when that last Achilles injury happened, you know I just really thought it was over,” said Cohen in the Panthers’ locker room this afternoon.

Cohen sat down with his agent around the time of the NFL Draft and said that if his agent agreed, he would call it quits. That wouldn’t end up being the case. Cohen began to feel like he could contribute to an NFL team in an interesting way.

“I was just running around the house with my son, out in the yard. I’ve been working out and I just started feeling more and more like myself. My old self. So I told my agent call Carolina and see if they could use me.”

Cohen is a Carolina native and he spoke about how excited his family is to have him playing for his hometown team. “Without my family, I wouldn’t have made it through these two years…They helped me get through my rough moments, so that’s who I’m doing it for.”

He also has “family” in the Carolina locker room. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor served in the same role while Cohen was in Chicago, so the two have a rapport. “That’s my guy. He’s like a cousin. Like a white cousin, I got in my family,” he said jokingly.

Time will tell if Cohen will be activated to the 53-man roster and impact winning on the field, but the homecoming and comeback stories are enough for anyone to root for Carolina’s newest running back.