The Buffalo Bills are lucky they have James Cook.
The folks over at FOX Sports have ranked James Cook of the Buffalo Bills as the seventh-best RB in the NFL.
While talking about what makes Cook special, Ralph Vacchiano had a lot of great things to say about the 26-year-old.
"As the Buffalo Bills' passing game sagged a bit the last two years, Cook made sure their running game didn’t miss a beat," Vacchiano wrote. "And he established himself as one of the NFL’s best and most powerful last season with a league-leading 1,621 yards, making him the first Bills player to lead the NFL in rushing since O.J. Simpson nearly 50 years ago. Cook is a bowling ball through the middle of the defense, able to bounce off contact and explode onto the second level, despite being just 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds.
"Cook would probably rank higher on this list if he contributed more in the passing game (33-291-2). But he’s so strong running the ball, it’s hard to be disappointed. He ran for 28 touchdowns over the last two years. He’s the perfect weapon to wear down defenses late in games, and especially when the weather turns in Western New York late in the year."
Cook played in all 17 regular-season games for the Bills in 2025. He put up 1,621 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 291 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. The three-time Pro Bowler led the NFL in rushing yards and rushing yards per game.
In two games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos in the 2025 playoffs, Cook racked up 163 rushing yards and 29 receiving yards. The Bills beat the Jaguars but lost to the Broncos.
Cook enters the 2026 season with 4,259 rushing yards, 32 rushing touchdowns, 1,174 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns. He's one of the best dual-threat weapons in the NFL and the Bills are fortunate to have him.
Buffalo went 12-5 last season. Sean McDermott was fired as head coach and Joe Brady was promoted to head coach.
The Bills had a great offseason. The front office acquired D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears and signed Bradley Chubb and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency.
With Cook, Moore and Josh Allen leading the way, it's time for the Bills to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl.
It will be fascinating to see if Allen and the Bills can reach the promised land this season. Time is running out on Allen to win a championship. After all, he's not getting any younger.
In Year 1 of the Brady era, the Bills face the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers, Bears and Broncos.
