Tarik Cohen bought fats.
Simply ask him.
Cohen described himself as “fats” 4 occasions Tuesday whereas recalling the timeframe two years in the past when he thought his NFL profession was over after he tore his Achilles as a free agent who was attempting to hurry his return from a devastating lower-body damage.
It’s virtually laborious to consider all that Cohen has endured whenever you see him accelerating by means of lanes throughout Jets practices with flashes of the burst that after made him a Professional Bowler.
His profession began with back-to-back seasons of near-1,600 all-purpose yards in 2018 and 2019.
“I let myself get fats,” stated Cohen, who performed at about 188 kilos for the Bears however topped out 20 kilos heavier when he was sidelined. “However I really feel prefer it bought actual straightforward [to get back in shape] as soon as I noticed an image of myself. I actually simply turned it on with out even the intention of coming again to the NFL. I noticed little rolls on my aspect. I used to be within the pool with my buddy and he despatched me the image and I virtually threw my cellphone towards the wall.”
Cohen, 29, hasn’t performed in a NFL regular-season sport since Sept. 27, 2020, when he broke his leg and tore two ligaments in his knee.
He missed the remainder of the 2020 season and all of 2021 earlier than he began feeling adequate to livestream his rehab on Instagram as an commercial to groups in want of a operating again.
The league watched heartbroken and horrified on Could 17, 2022, as Cohen crumpled to the bottom whereas shifting from a backpedal to a dash.
He screamed “No!” as he clutched the again of his proper leg.
“I felt so silly for making that video,” Cohen stated. “I did the primary rep off digicam, after which my greatest buddy was in there with me and was like, ‘Rik, you appear to be you’re again.’ That was the primary day I ran since 2020. I used to be simply too excited. My physique wasn’t able to be operating at that pace or change of path, and my Achilles simply popped.”
At that time, Cohen’s profession regarded completed.
“It undoubtedly crept in my thoughts that ‘You’re by no means going to play once more,’ ” Cohen stated. “That’s why I deal with day-after-day as a blessing. Simply bear in mind the occasions I used to be at residence, watching all people on TV. It makes you double down day-after-day.”
The Panthers had been the primary crew to offer Cohen a comeback probability final season, however he injured his hamstring and by no means bought off the observe squad because the league’s worst crew centered on late-season developmental reps for youthful gamers.
Cohen slimmed down by becoming a member of a boxing gymnasium, putting in a small sauna in his residence and altering his food regimen.
It regarded prefer it all may go for naught.
“What wasn’t I consuming? I don’t wish to shout out too many companies with out getting paid for it, however I used to be consuming all the things,” Cohen quipped. “Steak and eggs [is now] actually my solely food regimen. I attempt to eat like a cheetah or a lion would eat — solely to outlive.”
The Jets have a distinct plan for the 191-pound Cohen than the Panthers had.
He’s a part of the second-team operating again rotation together with rookies Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, and the most certainly answer in a brand new world of kickoffs and two-deep returners.
A rule change made to encourage fewer touchbacks has positioned a league-wide emphasis on particular groups playmakers.
“He appears actually good — undoubtedly like he’s getting his legs beneath him,” coach Robert Saleh stated. “He undoubtedly has that short-area quickness. It’s only a matter of him discovering that long-range stuff that he had, which to not say it was sluggish however his long-speed was elite earlier than the damage.”
Cohen appears snug catching the ball regardless of the lengthy layoff since his time in Chicago, the place he returned 30 kickoffs and 96 punts for from 2017 till he was sidelined in Week 3 of the 2020 season.
Cohen’s imaginative and prescient made an early impression on particular groups coordinator Brant Boyer.
“It’s a custom-tailored place that they only added to soccer,” Cohen stated, “that I can play and do effectively in.”
Becoming a member of the Jets is also a homecoming of kinds for Cohen, who was born in New York and nonetheless has prolonged household within the space.
“I undoubtedly really feel all the best way again,” Cohen stated. “I’m simply attempting to point out the Jets the explosiveness that I’ve, the smartness that I’ve gained from being within the league, and carry as I rise — assist all the fellows in my place group.”
