The Carolina Panthers have gotten great contributions in the early going this season from third-year wideout Jalen Coker.
That didn’t extend into a fast start on Sunday at the Cleveland Browns in a week that Coker dealt with an injury throughout the Panthers’ practice sessions.
The Panthers’ passing attack as a whole got off to a slow start in Cleveland, but that was especially true for Coker.
Coker didn’t have a catch in the first quarter.
Is Jalen Coker Playing Today?
Yes, Coker is active and playing on Sunday.
The problem is that he wasn’t getting any looks in the early going.
Bryce Young’s first four passes included three completions and a throw-away. He completed throws to Tommy Tremble, Tetairoa McMillan and Brycen Tremayne.
Coker didn’t get a look in the early going.
The Panthers are without Xavier Legette due to a foot injury, so they need other players to step up. Tremayne is playing more, but Coker needs to continue his production, too.
Is Jalen Coker Hurt?
Coker did have an injury on the report this week.
He has had an ankle ailment that has been nagging him.
It was enough of a worry to take Coker off of punt return duty, and he was officially questionable on Sunday.
It wasn’t enough to keep him out of action, though.
It wasn’t clear entering Sunday whether Coker would get a lightened snap count to account for the injury.
Jalen Coker Breakout
The undrafted Coker was a college star at Holy Cross who stands 6-foot-3 and runs well, but that wasn’t enough for him to get drafted in 2024.
He had 32 catches in his first season and then 33 in his second, but this year is looking like it’ll be a huge breakout for Coker.
In Week 1, he was targeted nine times and caught eight of them for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Panthers’ 59-37 loss to the Chicago Bears. That included a 51-yard TD.
Then in Week 2, Coker again caught 8-of-9 targets. This time, it was the shorter-range stuff he had made look easy early in his career, as he totaled 66 yards. And this time, the Panthers won over the Falcons comfortably, 34-3.
Bryce Young is throwing at a high rate, and he’s throwing well, and it is allowing both Coker and Tetairoa McMillan to look like stars in the early going.
Tet was a first-round pick, while Coker didn’t get drafted at all, but together, they seem set to lead the Panthers’ passing attack to great places — as long as they can stay on the field.
Is Jalen Coker Playing Today? Why Panthers’ Injured WR Isn’t Doing Anything vs. Browns