Unfortunately, it seems the comeback tour won’t continue with the Carolina Panthers. Carolina released Tarik Cohen as they announced their first wave of cuts to make room for undrafted rookie free agents.
The veteran coming out of the rookie minicamp this past week will not make the team, as the 28-year-old was let go for the 18 undrafted rookies to be signed on the roster. The Panthers also cut another ball carrier, Spencer Brown, with seven running backs on the roster with the signing of another veteran.
Cohen was already a long shot to make the team, but the scatback has been aiming his sights on playing again since 2020. Due to multiple injuries, his setback last season might have been the nail in the coffin in terms of getting another serious shot.
Carolina Panthers: Release Return Man Tarik Cohen
Panthers released veteran running back Tarik Cohen, who was attempting a comeback from a series of injuries that derailed his time as a Pro-Bowl returner with the Bears. Cohen hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2020.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 10, 2024
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Panthers relieved Tarik Cohen of his duties on the team, as he has yet to see the field in an NFL game for four seasons.
Carolina signed another running back earlier this week, who hasn’t been able to capture success Rashaad Penny.
The 28-year-old joins a backfield as a backup with Chubba Hubbard and Miles Sanders, both players likely to start at least entering the 2024 season. Rasheem Blackshear and Mike Boone are also on the roster at the position, but will likely be nothing more than depth and competition.
The favorite to be their future running back is Jonathon Brooks, a former second-round pick and the first running back taken in the 2024 NFL Draft. The 20-year-old from Texas is recovering from a torn ACL but should be ready to be eased in as a versatile weapon for Carolina.
Carolina Panthers: RB Attempting Comeback since 2020
After the release of Cohen from the Carolina Panthers, there could be a potential trade or more cuts at the position, as the backfield is becoming crowded. Potentially it could be one of Hubbard or a disappointing former free agent from 2023 in Sanders.
With a new head coach, Dave Canales, any former offseason acquisition on the team is not set in stone, as he has already brought in way more talent than what the Panthers had last season.
Now with Cohen gone as a potential return option for the new kick-off rules along with punt returns, Blackshear and wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette are slated as their main return men for Carolina.
The veteran return man and dynamic weapon was placed on the practice squad last year and had a hamstring issue that sidelined him the whole season, eventually placed on injured reserve to end his season before it began.
Carolina Panthers: Injuries Have Derailed NFL Career
The former fourth-round pick in 2017 was drafted by Chicago and signed with Carolina back in September, almost three years removed from a season-ending knee injury.
Cohen suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and fractured his tibia in Week 3 of the 2020 season with the Bears, as he signed a three-year extension right before in September
For the remainder of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he was placed on injured reserve and released after the 2022 season after not being able to play another snap for the Chicago Bears due to the injury.
As a free agent in 2022, Cohen suffered a torn Achilles while training, so in August this past year, he announced his coming back to the NFL and got a roster spot with Carolina.
Unfortunately in his home state, it didn’t end up working out and Cohen’s injuries have haunted what could’ve been a nice career. With four seasons in Chicago, Cohen earned First-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl nod as a return man in his second season.
At 5’6″ and 181 pounds, the multi-utility playmaker has 1,101 career rushing yards, 1,575 yards as a receiver, 19 total touchdowns, and has led the league in return yards for mostly punts for the Bears.
Hopefully, this won’t be the last we see of the small-school electric return man out of North Carolina A&T, and the Panthers weren’t his last team in the NFL.
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