At his peak, Cohen was a speedy and shifty back who wowed everyone with his ability to shake any defender out of his shoes. Known as “The Human Joystick,” Cohen totaled 2676 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns in his first four years as a pro, but a myriad of devastating injuries have followed him in recent seasons. Cohen suffered a torn ACL and MCL, along with a tibia fracture during the 2020 season, and missed all of 2021 as a result. In 2022, he suffered a torn Achilles while training in hopes of a return. He caught on with the Panthers practice squad last season but didn’t play a down of regular season football. After a week in Jets minicamp, the former fourth-round pick has opted to call it quits just days after his 29th birthday.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Cohen was signed primary to handle kickoff returns. Cohen, who hasn’t take a regular season snap since the 2020 season, will try to make the Jets roster this summer. He’s suffered both an ACL tear and an Achilles tear during his pro career and has struggled to get back to the form he displayed in his first couple seasons with the Bears. Cohen had a combined 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2018 as a scat back in Chicago.

Cohen hasn’t taken a regular season snap since 2020, when his season ended with a torn ACL. A torn Achilles in 2022 ended his comeback attempt, but he was able to catch on with the Panthers last September and spent the remainder of the season on their practice squad. He now finds himself without a job after that nine-month stint. Set to turn 29 before the start of the season; it will be interesting to see if another team takes a shot on the vet.

Cohen was one of 11 players signed to a futures deal by the Panthers on Monday. The veteran running back spent most of the 2023 season on the Panthers’ practice squad, working his way back from a number of devastating injuries in recent seasons. Cohen suffered a torn ACL in 2020, only to return in 2022 and suffer a torn Achilles during a training session. He’ll be 29 at the start of next season and could have a chance to earn a roster spot in camp.