Carolina Panthers WR Jalen Coker suffered a minor quad strain in Week 3.
Not only did the Carolina Panthers lose to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, but WR Jalen Coker also got hurt.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that Coker suffered a minor quad strain and is considered questionable for Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.
The Panthers lost to the Browns by a final score of 21-18. Coker had two catches for 18 yards before exiting the game.
Coker, who had been battling an ankle injury, played throughout the first half but left with a quad injury.
"His quad lit up on him a little bit," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "And so, the pain wasn't really going away. We're testing the strength, and we decided we couldn't put him back out there in that condition."
On the season, Coker has 18 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers are 1-2. They lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2.
Carolina had 360 total yards against Cleveland and still lost. Bryce Young finished the game with 291 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one interception. The Panthers' defense gave up 259 total yards to the Browns.
Young, Coker, Jaycee Horn (quad), Mike Jackson (groin) and Damien Lewis (elbow) left the game at various points because of injuries. Young and Lewis, who were inspected by trainers, both returned to the field in the second half.
Young took a step back in Week 3 against the Browns. After throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns in Week 1 against the Bears, Young followed up with 287 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in Week 2 against the Falcons in Atlanta.
Young led the Panthers to the playoffs last season, where Carolina lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round at home. It's been impressive to watch Young's turnaround in Carolina. Remember, Young was benched for Andy Dalton in 2024. When that happened, many people thought Young's days in Carolina were over.
However, the Alabama product kept his head down and worked. And he played like a superstar in Weeks 1 and 2 before coming back down to earth in Week 3.
Entering Week 3, Young led the NFL in passing touchdowns and ranks second in passing yards. He was completing 63% of his passes and his EPA per dropback was .24, seventh in the NFL.
Young and the Panthers will need Coker in the lineup in Week 4 against the Lions to win that game. It will be interesting to see if Coker plays.
