‘He can do everything’ — Jalen Coker is building a lot of hype in Carolina but his strong start is nothing new to the Panthers
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker is in the middle of a breakout two games into the 2026 season and it’s everything the team knew he could eventually accomplish with this opportunity.
After a rough start in the season opener against the Chicago Bears, the Carolina Panthers found their groove in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons. But, the offense itself has been off to an incredible start to the 2026 season.
Quarterback Bryce Young has full command of this offense with full confidence in the scheme and play-makers around him. Which includes wide receiver Jalen Coker, who has really shined over the last two weeks for this Panthers offense.
Carolina knew they had a dangerous threat that can take over any game in reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year and second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. But, if Coker can maintain his current level of play, the Panthers will have two top weapons on their hands that other teams need to account for.
Jalen Coker’s hot start to the 2026 season isn’t a flash in the pan, it’s a sign of even better things to come
Through two games this season, Coker leads the Panthers with 16 receptions and 204 yards while being tied for a team lead with 18 targets and two receiving touchdowns. According to Pro Football Focus, he has the highest deep receiving grade in the NFL (98.4) and the fifth-highest catch rate (88.9) among players with 10+ targets.
He’s had four straight games (including playoffs) with 5+ receptions after having just one such game during his first 21 games of his career in Carolina. What we’re seeing isn’t some flash in the pan from Coker, it’s a legit sign of even better things to come.
“He’s a very slept on receiver. He’s the truth,” McMillan told Jordan Schultz, via the Schultz Report. “He can do everything. He’s kind of like a Swiss-army knife – able to do a lot of things and very reliable. The coaches trust in him, Bryce trusts in him, we all trust him to make plays. That’s what he’s doing for us right now.”
The trust Coker has established with this team extends beyond his role as a receiver. After parting ways with former sixth-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr., the Panthers put Coker back deep to return punts on Sunday and it didn’t come as a surprise when he took off for a 36-yard return.
“I mean, we should (continue to use him as a returner),” head coach Dave Canales told reporters on Monday. “He made positive yards. He caught the ball well, that’s what I cared about – save all the yards that are there and make sure we get this ball fielded. And then we saw what he could do with the ball (in his hands). He’s been doing that more and more as a receiver as well. The more they understand the schemes and the concepts and you have that confidence of speed of play, then it takes you to the play after. Once I have the ball, I’m thinking about how I’m going to make this guy miss.”
Jalen Coker’s break out isn’t a surprise to the Panthers, but his journey to get to this point is
When the Panthers first signed Coker as an undrafted rookie out of Holy Cross in 2024, few expected he would turn into this kind of weapon. In fact, the Panthers even cut Coker after he initially made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie. Coker went unclaimed through the waiver wire process and returned to Carolina’s practice squad.
The Panthers promoted Coker back to the active roster by Week 4 that season, and he played in 11 games with four starts. Last season, Coker missed the first six games due to a quadriceps strain before ramping back up over the final 11 games. Over those two seasons, Coker just continued getting better and better every single day and his teammates saw it, making the decision to give him a three-year extension an easy one to make.
“He’s their best receiver,” former Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen said of Coker. “I truly believe that, he has the ability to be one of the better receivers in the league. He doesn’t have a weakness, he is a massive target… and the guy can run. He can run slants, he’s got body control, he can run dig routes. His ability to stop and start is incredible for a guy who’s 213 pounds and running that fast.”
Now he’s reached the point where his talent and impact is impossible for anyone in this league to ignore. He’s a true threat for this team and is just trying to stay as consistent as he can every day.
“He doesn’t try to be something that he’s not,” McMillan added. “I feel like a lot of receivers, they want to try new things and add stuff to their arsenal that maybe they’re not capable of doing. He’s one of those guys where it’s like, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. He does the same thing every time. Reliable, catches everything. The guy just knows how to play football.”
