Tarik Cohen has gained weight.
Just ask him.
Cohen described himself as “fat” four times on Tuesday as he recalled the time two years ago when he ruptured his Achilles tendon as a free agent rushing back from a devastating lower-body injury and thought his NFL career was over.
Watching the former Pro Bowl selection zip through the lanes with his explosive speed during Jets practice, it’s almost hard to believe all the hardships Cohen has endured.
His career began with back-to-back seasons of nearly 1,600 all-purpose yards in 2018 and 2019.
“I put on weight,” said Cohen, who played at about 188 pounds for the Bears but gained 20 pounds by the time he stopped playing, “but I feel like it’s really gotten easier. [to get back in shape] “I saw a picture of myself once. I had no intention of returning to the NFL, and I was just excited. I noticed a little sagging armpit. I was at the pool with a friend, and he sent me this picture. I nearly threw my phone against the wall.”
Cohen, 29, has not played in an NFL regular-season game since Sept. 27, 2020, when he broke his leg and tore two knee ligaments.
He missed the remainder of the 2020 season and all of 2021, but has since returned to full fitness and been able to livestream his rehabilitation on Instagram as a promotion for teams in need of a running back.
On May 17, 2022, the league watched in heartbreak and horror as Cohen collapsed to the ground while transitioning from a backpedal to a sprint.
“No!” he cried, holding the back of his right leg.
“I felt stupid for taking that video,” Cohen said. “I finished the first run off camera and my best friend was running with me and said, ‘Rick, you’re back!’ It was my first day running since 2020 and I was just too excited. My body wasn’t ready to run that fast and change direction and I snapped my Achilles.”
At that point, Cohen’s career seemed over.
“The thought of ‘I’m never going to play again’ was definitely in my mind,” Cohen said, “so that’s why I take every day like a blessing. I remember watching everybody at home on TV and it just makes me double my effort every day.”
The Panthers were the first team to give Cohen a chance to return last season, but he suffered a hamstring injury and never made the practice squad as the league’s worst-ranked team focused on youth development training in the second half of the season.
Cohen lost the weight by joining a boxing gym, installing a small sauna in his home and changing his diet.
It seemed like it might all be for nothing.
“What didn’t I eat? I hate criticizing companies without getting paid, but I ate everything,” Cohen joked. “Steak and eggs.” [is now] This is literally my only food. I try to eat like a cheetah or a lion. Just to survive.”
The Jets have a different plan for the 191-pound Cohen than the Panthers.
He’s part of the second-team running back rotation with rookies Braylon Allen and Isaiah Davis and is the most likely solution in the new world of kickoffs and two-deep returners.
Rules were changed to cut down on touchbacks, and special teams playmakers were emphasized throughout the league.
“He’s doing really well. He’s definitely getting his feet used to it,” manager Robert Saleh said. “He’s definitely got the short-distance quickness. The question is getting the long-distance quickness he had back. I’m not saying he’s slow, but his long-distance speed before he got injured was elite.”
Cohen looks comfortable catching the ball despite his lengthy hiatus since his time with Chicago, where he recorded 30 kickoff returns and 96 punt returns from 2017 until he sat out Week 3 of the 2020 season.
Cohen’s vision impressed special teams coordinator Brant Boyer early on.
“It’s a new position in football that I’m a perfect fit for,” Cohen said. “It’s a position that I can play and thrive in.”
For Cohen, who was born in New York and still has relatives in the area, joining the Jets is also a homecoming of sorts.
“I feel like I’m back in full force,” Cohen said. “I want to show the Jets my explosiveness and the smarts I’ve gained in the league and help everyone at my position the more I improve.”
