NFL Pro Bowler who hasn’t played since 2020 signs with New York Jets

Former NFL Pro Bowl running back Tarik Cohen, who hasn’t played in a game since 2020 due to injuries, has signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets, the team announced Wednesday.

Cohen, 28, last played for the Chicago Bears on Sept. 27, 2020, when he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and leg fracture that forced him to miss the remainder of the season and the entire 2021 season. After being released by the Bears in March 2022, the 5-foot-6 Cohen suffered a torn Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. He signed with the Carolina Panthers in September 2023, but didn’t appear in any games for the team before he was released by the Panthers earlier this month.

Jets coach Robert Saleh expressed excitement about the team’s signing of Cohen, who was named first team All-Pro and selected to the Pro Bowl as a punt returner while with the Bears in 2018.

“Tarik, explosive playmaker, he’s starting to get back healthy,” Saleh said on Wednesday. “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.”

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In his four NFL seasons with the Bears from 2017 to 2020, Cohen recorded 264 rush attempts for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns, along with 209 receptions for 1,575 yards and nine touchdowns. The former North Carolina A&T standout also has 96 punt returns for 985 yards and one touchdown as well as 30 kick returns for 628 yards.