Getty Former Bears RB Tarik Cohen signed a one-year deal with the Jets.
Former Chicago Bears All-Pro Tarik Cohen is getting another opportunity in the NFL. Cohen is signing a one-year deal with the New York Jets, the team announced on May 29.
The former Bears running back and return man saw his once-promising career cut short after he tore his ACL while fielding a punt against the Atlanta Falcons Week 3 of the 2020 season. He hasn’t played in an NFL game since.
After getting released by the Bears in 2022, Cohen landed in Carolina with the Panthers in 2023, but never made it back onto the field. A hamstring injury limited him with the Panthers last year and he was ultimately released this spring.
Now, he’ll get a new chance with the Jets, who are led on offense by former Bears nemesis Aaron Rodgers.
Jets Coach Robert Saleh Calls Tarik Cohen ‘Explosive Playmaker’
“He’s a playmaker”
Robert Saleh on the Jets bringing in Tarik Cohen and how the new kickoff rules influenced the signing:
The 28-year-old Cohen’s best statistical season came in 2018. He finished with 1,599 all-purpose yards (725 receiving and 444 rushing) and eight total touchdowns. He led the league in punt return yardage that year (411 yards), making the Pro Bowl while getting named a first-team All-Pro.
“Tarik, explosive playmaker, he’s starting to get back healthy,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said after the team announced Cohen’s signing, via Jets Videos.
“With the new kickoff rules and these kick returners, they’re going to touch the ball over 100 times a year, which is significant. At least that’s what we’re anticipating. And a guy like him, he’s still young, obviously coming off his injuries, but we’re excited to have him aboard.”
Per the new kickoff rules, only the kicker and the returner can move until the ball is touched and the return has started. Additionally, all kicks that land between the goal line and the 20-yard line must be returned, which should give speedy playmakers such as Cohen a distinct advantage.
Saleh is also excited about Cohen’s potential as a gadget back in the Jets offense, as Cohen could give Rodgers a twitchy pass-catching option out of the backfield.
“From a defensive standpoint, having to game plan against him when he was with the Bears, he was a nightmare,” the defensive-minded Saleh added. “He’s a playmaker.”
A Brief Look at Cohen’s Injury History
At 5’6″ and 181 pounds, Cohen has had to rely on speed throughout his football career, as he’s on the smaller side. That makes all the lower body injuries he has suffered in recent years all the more devastating.
Injured just three games into his 2020 campaign, the versatile running back spent the entire 2021 season on Chicago’s Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list recovering from his torn ACL.
The following year, in May of 2022, after his release from the Bears, Cohen suffered another damaging setback. During a workout he was live-streaming on Instagram, he tore his Achilles tendon. The new injury occurred just as he was getting back into playing shape.
Then, after signing with Carolina last year, he had nagging hamstring problems. Health has been an issue, and it’s unlikely he’ll be the same player he once was. Still, when he was in his prime, Cohen was great fun to watch:
Never forget the insane burst Tarik Cohen had back in 2018 😤
Here’s to hoping he makes a it back with the Jets!
If Cohen can see the field again, even in a minor capacity, it would be an incredible feat and one of the NFL’s best stories. Bears Nation will surely be rooting for him.