Bills star living up to his big contract and emerges as one of NFL's elite backs

ORCHARD PARK - While Josh Allen continues to do Josh Allen things and is the biggest reason why the Buffalo Bills have topped 30 points in all four games, running back James Cook’s contributions have become just as critical to the undefeated start in 2025.

“It seems like he’s getting better each and every week which is hard to imagine,” Allen said of Cook who has topped 100 yards rushing in each of the last three games and with 401 yards trails only Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor (414). “The way that he kind of has this patience to hit the hole, but when he hits it, I mean he is shot out of a cannon. His contact balance is unbelievable. His jump cuts are awesome. I’m glad he’s on our team.”

The chief argument that was made against general manager Brandon Beane giving Cook the big contract extension he eventually signed late in the summer was that during his first three seasons, his snap counts were never commensurate for that type of pay raise. That has changed in a big way this season.

James Cook's usage is increasing this season

Cook shared the backfield in 2022 as a rookie with Devin Singletary and played just 25% of the offensive snaps, then when he became the No. 1 back those rose to 55% in 2023 but dipped to 48% in 2024. The question raised was, how could the Bills justify thrusting Cook into the same banking neighborhood as players like Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey and Josh Jacobs who were three-down backs with huge snap advantages?

But this season, the 2022 second-round pick has played 60% of the time that the Bills’ offense has been on the field and he’s already 31% of the way to his career high in touches for a season, 287 in 2023 when he finished sixth in the NFL (third among RBs) with 1,567 yards from scrimmage.

“I think you have to love how he’s running the football right now,” offensive coordinator Joe Brady said. “I know it’s not necessarily anything that’s out of the ordinary, but understanding the way defenses are playing for a running back position, and understanding who’s the guy that I’m going to have to make miss.

“He’s playing so much stronger in the last couple of years, and he’s able to do that, and then you can feel the explosiveness once he gets through the hole, and the vision. It’s human nature sometimes when a guy, you know, you get a contract and maybe you kind of get a little comfortable, and that’s not in his DNA. And if anything, I think he’s taking a step up in his game. That’s pretty fun to see.”

Cook’s 75 rushing attempts are fourth-most in the league while his 87 total touches are sixth-most and at this pace, he’s going to soar to heights he’s never been close to in terms of usage. And the thing is, the Bills might need to keep leaning on him, at least until they can start getting more from the passing game which has been good but certainly not electric outside of the fourth quarter against Baltimore.

How emergence of James Cook can help the passing game

Allen said Cook’s success is eventually going to force defenses out of the two-high safety looks the Bills have seen so much of which has limited his chances to throw the ball downfield.

“Just knowing that handing the ball off and letting James do his thing and allowing us to see some more one-high and split safety looks,” Allen said. “He’ll be the first one to tell you, it’s all the O-line opening the holes for him, but the way he runs the football, it’s a rare thing and it’s a beautiful thing.”

But the high usage is something that needs to be monitored and everyone knows it. At 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds, Cook is a bit slight for someone garnering the workload he’s had, and while he has a great knack for avoiding the big hits, he’s still absorbing plenty of contact and the Bills need to start getting something, anything, from Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.

They have combined for 19 carries and 72 yards, plus two catches for seven yards with Johnson playing 26.5% of the snaps and Davis just 13.9%.

“James is off to a great start,” coach Sean McDermott said when asked about the running back usage. “So it’s that to a certain extent, but it’s also just overall, hey, how can we keep everything in moderation so that James can stay healthy the whole season? I think that’s important to note, too, as well. We’ve got to continue to get all three guys in the fold and helping us.”

Brady acknowledged that Cook’s workload has been high, though he also admits it’s hard to not call his number because he’s been so dynamic.

“We got Josh Allen on the field, but I mean, the way James is playing right now, he’s playing at such a high level,” Brady said. “But the reality is, we want him playing in January and February, too, so I gotta be smart. That’s not to say he can’t do it, but we have too good of a running back room for him to be the only one toting the rock.

“I have to trust our guys. We were at our best last year when everybody was rolling, right, that’s part of who we are. And I think right now, that’s a fine line, because he’s playing so well. But I trust Ray Davis and Ty Johnson out there, that they should be getting some carries out there, too. And so it’s finding that fine line, and we’ll figure that out. And it’s only gonna benefit us in the long run.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: James Cook living up to contract extension with Buffalo Bills