Legendary HBCU running back Tarik Cohen gets another shot at an NFL comeback as Adam Schefter has reported that the all-time leading rusher in the MEAC has signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets.
Cohen finished his four-year career at North Carolina A&T as one of the greatest football players to suit up at an HBCU in modern history. His 5,619 rushing yards and 59 total touchdowns as an Aggie was enough to have him selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears where he became one of the most electrifying players in the league.
Cohen’s dynamic style of play at the HBCU level immediately translated to the NFL as the North Carolina native put up 1,101 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, 1,575 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver; and returned 96 punts for 985 yards with one touchdown during his 51 games with the Bears.
A week after signing a three-year $17.25 million contract extension with the Bears in 2020, The 2018 pro-bowler suffered a season-ending ACL injury and has not played in the NFL since.
After rehabbing for nearly two years, Cohen tore his Achilles tendon during a workout on Instagram Live, which set his NFL comeback back for another year-long stint of rehab.
In September of 2023, nearly three years since his last NFL action, Tarik Cohen was signed to the practice squad of his home state Carolina Panthers until his release in early May of this year.
Only weeks after his release from Carolina, Cohen has gotten another chance at an NFL comeback, this time in New York with the Jets, where his new head coach Robert Saleh, already has plans to utilize the dynamic playmaker within the new NFL kickoff rules.
“Tarik, explosive playmaker, he’s starting to get back healthy,” Saleh said. “With the new kickoff rules, these kick returners are going to touch the ball over 100 times a year, which is significant. A guy like him, who’s still young, obviously coming off his injuries, we’re excited to have him aboard.”
Even after almost four years away from the game, Tarik Cohen is still only 28 years old and when healthy, is still one of the most respected returners in football. Yahoo Sports contributing writer Sean Leahy writes that a healthy Tarik Cohen could be “the Jets’ No. 1 option on both punt and kick returns, and he could slot in as the backup/third-down back behind Breece Hall.”