James Cook and the Bills have ended their contract squabble. He’s agreed to a four-year extension worth $48 million. That locks him in as a solid contender to be one of the 10 most productive running backs in the upcoming season.
Cook is small (190 pounds), but he’s good. He’s averaged 4.9 yards per carry over the last three years, 3rd-most among running backs.
And despite the limited size, Cook started handling the ball in more goal-line situations last year, allowing him to pile up 18 touchdowns, plus another 3 in the postseason. Only Jahmyr Gibbs got in the end zone more often than Cook last year (including the playoffs, only 12 players scored more than 12 touchdowns).
| LEADING TOUCHDOWN SCORERS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Team | G | TD |
| Jahmyr Gibbs | Det. | 18 | 22 |
| James Cook | Buff. | 19 | 21 |
| Derrick Henry | Balt. | 19 | 21 |
| Saquon Barkley | Phil. | 20 | 20 |
| Jalen Hurts | Phil. | 19 | 19 |
| Ja'Marr Chase | Cin. | 17 | 17 |
| Josh Jacobs | G.B. | 18 | 17 |
| Kyren Williams | LAR | 18 | 17 |
| Terry McLaurin | Was. | 20 | 16 |
| Josh Allen | Buff. | 20 | 15 |
| Bijan Robinson | Atl. | 17 | 15 |
| Joe Mixon | Hou. | 16 | 14 |
Helped along by that steady stream of touchdowns, Cook was the 7th-most productive running back in standard scoring system last year. And in that format, he was outscored by only one wide receiver. He was not as productive in PPR leagues, with 14 RB-WR coming in ahead of him.
| LEADING FIELD PLAYERS FROM 2024 (Standard) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | G | Rushing | Receiving | Std | PPR |
| RB | Saquon Barkley, Phil. | 16 | 345-2005-13 | 33-278-2 | 324.3 | 3 |
| RB | Derrick Henry, Balt. | 17 | 325-1921-16 | 19-193-2 | 319.4 | 5 |
| RB | Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 17 | 250-1412-16 | 52-517-4 | 312.9 | 2 |
| RB | Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 17 | 304-1456-14 | 61-431-1 | 280.7 | 4 |
| WR | Ja'Marr Chase, Cin. | 17 | 3-32-0 | 127-1708-17 | 276.0 | 1 |
| RB | Josh Jacobs, G.B. | 17 | 301-1329-15 | 36-342-1 | 263.1 | 9 |
| RB | Kyren Williams, LAR | 16 | 316-1299-14 | 34-182-2 | 244.1 | 12 |
| RB | James Cook, Buff. | 16 | 207-1009-16 | 32-258-2 | 234.7 | 15 |
| RB | Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 14 | 303-1431-11 | 18-136-1 | 228.7 | 26 |
| RB | DeVon Achane, Mia. | 17 | 203-907-6 | 78-592-6 | 221.9 | 8 |
| WR | Justin Jefferson, Min. | 17 | 1-3-0 | 103-1533-10 | 214.7 | 7 |
| RB | James Conner, Ari. | 16 | 236-1094-8 | 47-414-1 | 208.8 | 21 |
| RB | Chuba Hubbard, Car. | 15 | 250-1195-10 | 43-171-1 | 204.6 | 25 |
| RB | Joe Mixon, Hou. | 14 | 245-1016-11 | 36-309-1 | 204.5 | 33 |
| WR | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 17 | 2-6-0 | 115-1263-12 | 203.3 | 6 |
| RB | Chase Brown, Cin. | 16 | 229-990-7 | 54-360-4 | 203.0 | 19 |
| RB | Bucky Irving, T.B. | 17 | 207-1122-8 | 47-392-0 | 199.4 | 27 |
| RB | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 14 | 228-950-6 | 68-543-2 | 197.3 | 17 |
| WR | Brian Thomas, Jac. | 17 | 6-48-0 | 87-1282-10 | 197.0 | 10 |
| RB | Aaron Jones, Min. | 17 | 255-1138-5 | 51-408-2 | 196.6 | 24 |
Earlier in the offseason, Cook expressed an interest in getting more involved in the passing game. He caught only 32 passes last year – an even 2 per game. But I don’t think that will happen. He can be fine in that regard, but the Bills have a couple of other backs who might be even better.
Ty Johnson and Ray Davis combined finished with more receptions than Cook last year, and they were both really effective. They were the only two backs in the league who caught over 15 passes and averaged over 11 yards per catch. And they caught 6 touchdowns.
Johnson was previously with the Lions and Jets, but he’s found a home here. He’s particularly good on passing downs. During the Cook contract talks, there was mention of him being a lot better than Cook in protection. Johnson carried 3 times for 26 yards in the preseason opener, looking like he should be a backup tailback rather than just a third-string. But they also have Davis, who’s ready to play more.
Johnson, recall, came up with that difficult catch for a touchdown on a fourth down in the playoff win over Denver. He’s a pro who’s been working on his craft.
So I think the play for Buffalo will be use all three backs, perhaps giving Cook a better chance of still being explosive and fresh when the postseason rolls around.
Below see the 40 running backs who saw at least 30 pass targets last year, plus I’ve put the combined totals for Johnson and Davis on there. Those are guys who’ll need to get on the field some.
| RUNNING BACKS / YARDS PER TARGET | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Yd/Tgt |
| R.Davis/T.Johnson, Buff. | 44 | 35 | 473 | 13.5 | 6 | 10.8 |
| Samaje Perine, K.C. | 35 | 28 | 322 | 11.5 | 1 | 9.2 |
| David Montgomery, Det. | 38 | 36 | 341 | 9.5 | 0 | 9.0 |
| Austin Ekeler, Was. | 41 | 35 | 366 | 10.5 | 0 | 8.9 |
| Jahmyr Gibbs, Det. | 63 | 52 | 517 | 9.9 | 4 | 8.2 |
| Josh Jacobs, G.B. | 43 | 36 | 342 | 9.5 | 1 | 8.0 |
| Bucky Irving, T.B. | 52 | 47 | 392 | 8.3 | 0 | 7.5 |
| James Conner, Ari. | 55 | 47 | 414 | 8.8 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Justice Hill, Balt. | 51 | 42 | 383 | 9.1 | 3 | 7.5 |
| D'Andre Swift, Chi. | 52 | 42 | 386 | 9.2 | 0 | 7.4 |
| Rachaad White, T.B. | 57 | 51 | 393 | 7.7 | 6 | 6.9 |
| De'Von Achane, Mia. | 87 | 78 | 592 | 7.6 | 6 | 6.8 |
| James Cook, Buff. | 38 | 32 | 258 | 8.1 | 2 | 6.8 |
| Jaylen Warren, Pitt. | 47 | 38 | 310 | 8.2 | 0 | 6.6 |
| Aaron Jones, Min. | 62 | 51 | 408 | 8.0 | 2 | 6.6 |
| Zach Charbonnet, Sea. | 52 | 42 | 340 | 8.1 | 1 | 6.5 |
| Saquon Barkley, Phil. | 43 | 33 | 278 | 8.4 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Kyle Juszczyk, S.F. | 31 | 19 | 200 | 10.5 | 2 | 6.5 |
| Tyjae Spears, Ten. | 35 | 30 | 224 | 7.5 | 1 | 6.4 |
| Breece Hall, NYJ | 76 | 57 | 483 | 8.5 | 3 | 6.4 |
| Alexander Mattison, L.V. | 48 | 36 | 294 | 8.2 | 1 | 6.1 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 89 | 68 | 543 | 8.0 | 2 | 6.1 |
| Bijan Robinson, Atl. | 72 | 61 | 431 | 7.1 | 1 | 6.0 |
| Joe Mixon, Hou. | 52 | 36 | 309 | 8.6 | 1 | 5.9 |
| Najee Harris, Pitt. | 48 | 36 | 283 | 7.9 | 0 | 5.9 |
| Kenneth Walker, Sea. | 53 | 46 | 299 | 6.5 | 1 | 5.6 |
| Ameer Abdullah, L.V. | 47 | 40 | 261 | 6.5 | 3 | 5.6 |
| Chase Brown, Cin. | 65 | 54 | 360 | 6.7 | 4 | 5.5 |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 32 | 23 | 176 | 7.7 | 0 | 5.5 |
| Tyrone Tracy, NYG | 53 | 38 | 284 | 7.5 | 1 | 5.4 |
| Jerome Ford, Cle. | 43 | 37 | 225 | 6.1 | 0 | 5.2 |
| Rico Dowdle, Dall. | 49 | 39 | 249 | 6.4 | 3 | 5.1 |
| Javonte Williams, Den. | 70 | 52 | 346 | 6.7 | 0 | 4.9 |
| Miles Sanders, Car. | 30 | 24 | 148 | 6.2 | 1 | 4.9 |
| Travis Etienne, Jac. | 52 | 39 | 254 | 6.5 | 0 | 4.9 |
| Kyren Williams, LAR | 40 | 34 | 182 | 5.4 | 2 | 4.6 |
| Jonathan Taylor, Ind. | 31 | 18 | 136 | 7.6 | 1 | 4.4 |
| Tony Pollard, Ten. | 57 | 41 | 238 | 5.8 | 0 | 4.2 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson, N.E. | 41 | 33 | 168 | 5.1 | 1 | 4.1 |
| J.K. Dobbins, LAC | 38 | 32 | 153 | 4.8 | 0 | 4.0 |
| Chuba Hubbard, Car. | 54 | 43 | 171 | 4.0 | 1 | 3.2 |
—Ian Allan