Second-year Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker continues to make an impression during training camp. On Monday, Coker caught two deep touchdown passes in practice, building on his performance from Friday night’s game against the Cleveland Browns, where he also scored a touchdown.
One of Monday’s touchdowns came from quarterback Bryce Young, who connected with Coker after leaving the pocket. The other was thrown by Andy Dalton and saw Coker leap over rookie cornerback JaTravis Broughton for a contested catch before running into the end zone.
Coker has shown improvement since offseason workouts, according to head coach Dave Canales. Canales noted that Coker has focused on his physical condition and taken his special teams responsibilities more seriously.
“Jalen has really shown to be one of the more reliable guys that we have,” Canales said. “Whether it’s contested or he’s open in space, he plays strong to the ball. He had two really amazing plays, on a go ball where he went up over JT Broughton and kind of took it off of his shoulder and finished the play, finished on his feet, and ran the ball into the end zone.
“And if he keeps showing us like that, he’s going to be on the field playing, there’s, there’s no doubt about it. We love all of our guys. I have high hopes for this group in general, but that’s the nature of competition, and that’s what it does: all of a sudden, you see people elevate and rise and really show who they are.”
Last season, Coker recorded 32 receptions for 478 yards and two touchdowns.
