Tarik Cohen might not be long for the New York Jets.
On Tuesday, July 23 Rich Cimini of ESPN predicted that the green and white would part ways with the former All-Pro in his 53-man roster prediction.
The Jets signed Cohen to a one-year deal on May, 29.
A Long Road Back to the NFL
It will be a difficult path in training camp for Cohen to crack the 53-man roster, but it is nothing he hasn’t dealt with before.
Cohen has been fighting just to make it back to the league. In September of the 2020 season, Cohen suffered a torn ACL, a torn MCL, and a tibial plateau fracture. That forced him to miss the rest of that campaign and due to complications from that injury he also missed the entire 2021 season.
In May of 2022, he tore his Achilles during a training session as he was working himself back. At the beginning of the 2023 season, Cohen announced on social media that he was attempting another NFL comeback.
In 2023 he was back on a roster after the Carolina Panthers added him to the practice squad. He was with the team from September through May before getting cut and then ultimately landing with the Jets.
“Cohen hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2020 but is still only 28; in his prime he was one of the NFL’s best returners and valuable pass-catcher out of the backfield for the Bears. If he can find his old glory, Cohen will be one of the best stories in camp,” Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic said in a column posted on Tuesday, July 23.
Cohen Has a Lot Going for Him Heading Into Training Camp
Rosenblatt said “It feels like a safe bet” that the Jets end up keeping “at least” three running backs. Those roster locks include a pair of rookies (Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis) and Breece Hall.
Beyond those, the battle will commence with Cohen, Israel Abanikanda, a fullback (Nick Bawden), and a practice squad player from 2023, Xazavian Valladay.
The edge Cohen has over all of those guys is his versatility. Cohen first entered the league back in 2017 as the No. 119 overall pick in the fourth round. During his time in the league, Cohen has racked up 1,101 rushing yards, 1,575 receiving yards, and has totaled 14 touchdowns.
Beyond his contributions on offense, Cohen is a former first-team All-Pro return specialist (2018). That would be an important accolade heading into any NFL season, but it’s especially valuable in the same offseason that the league dramatically changed the rules on kickoffs.
The rules are complicated and different from what we’ve seen in the past. The problem is no NFL team is going to be willing to show their cards during the preseason so the mystery will likely continue well into the 2024 season.
Cohen’s dynamic past should give him a leg up over his competition. He will have a chance to punch his ticket to the 53-man roster, but if he can’t do that Cohen could land on the expanded 16-man practice squad.
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