PHILADELPHIA — There's a running joke in the Panthers locker room, from coaches, teammates, personnel, and anyone who walks by, that Jalen Coker can do anything.

At this point, the third-year wide receiver can toss his towel into the bin, and someone (usually David Moore) will yell out, "What can't he do?!"

On Sunday, in the Panthers' 25-14 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina discovered something else their gem of a receiver could be good at: lining up in the backfield as a decoy, leaking out like a running back, and getting wide-open for a huge 32-yard gain that helped open things up for the Panthers en route to a win.

"Yeah, that was just something that the pass pod, you know, (offensive coordinator) Brad (Idzik) and the guys, had been working on with Coker," explained coach Dave Canales after the win. "And we've had it up and down the last couple of weeks. We looked like it would be a good matchup in that area."

The play was technically still a route for the receiver, just out of the backfield, in much the same way a running back would line up, then run a pass play.

On this one, the Panthers were facing third-and-9 from their own 10-yard line. It was late in the third quarter, and Carolina was holding on to what felt like a tenuous six-point lead.

Bryce Young was in shotgun, with Coker on his right hip, and three other receivers lined out wide to the left. At the snap, Coker leaked out between the coverage, like a running back pulling defenders, while Young ran a boot to the right, buying time for the speedy receiver to get downfield.

"Bryce did a great job of extending the play so Jalen can find a little bit more space on that one," noted Canales.

The Eagles have a strong defensive front that can rush from multiple places, but Young's elusiveness, combined with the offensive line, gave Coker time downfield. And then, it was just a matter of finding out once again what Jalen Coker can do.

"Great job from the O-line, just sensing the pressure, then doing a great job picking it up," bragged Young. "And then just trusting my guy, being able to hang in, buy a little bit more time, knowing he's going to win."

He did, splitting the defense to get wide open in the middle of the field. Young hit him for a 32-yard gain, putting the Panthers near midfield. A couple of chunk plays from John Metchie III and Chuba Hubbard kept things moving, and Young baited the Eagles into jumping for a fresh set of downs at one point.

By the time the clock had ticked into the fourth quarter, Hubbard was running it in for a touchdown that made it two possessions.

Before that play to Coker, through three-and-a-half quarters, the Panthers had 229 yards of total offense and had gone 3-of-10 on third-down conversions. Including and after that throw, through the final 3:33 of the third quarter and then the fourth quarter, Carolina had more than half that, with 170 yards the remainder of the game, while going 4-of-7 on third down conversions.

"Credit goes to Jalen for just being a guy that versatile, that you can go out and he can be in the backfield and be able to run a route out of there. We move him around, and he does so much for us," said Young.

"He did a great job of doing that in a really big moment, so that's just, again, there's no surprise there; that's the type of player he is."

This was the first game back for Coker since exiting the Week 3 game with a hamstring injury. He was held out of Week 4 against the Lions and got extra rest with a Week 5 bye. In his first game back, there were a few plays he felt he left out there.

"I felt good," he shrugged. "Not my cleanest game. Definitely want a couple back. Dropped a ball. I had one on the sideline that I usually get both feet down, so I mean it wasn't my cleanest game, but yeah, it's good to be back."

The Panthers are glad to have him back as well, proving to the world what he can do, no matter where he's at on the field.

"It's good. I think anywhere I am on the field, it is what it is," said Coker. "My job is to get open and catch the ball, so that's what I'm going to try to do."