Cook rushed the ball 15 times for 49 yards in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Patriots. He did not catch his only target.
Cook endured his worst game of the season both as a rusher and receiver. His longest rush of the day went for only nine yards, and he also went without a catch for the first time on the campaign. Positively, Cook still dominated opportunity out of Bills' backfield, with Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combining to see only four rushing attempts with zero targets. Cook should have a strong chance of bouncing back in Week 6 against Atlanta.
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Bills' James Cook: Eclipses century mark in win
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Cook rushed 22 times for 117 yards and a touchdown while bringing in three of four targets for 18 yards in the Bills' 31-19 win over the Saints on Sunday.
The Bills arguably underperformed most of the afternoon given their status as significant home favorites, but Cook's play didn't disappoint. The speedy back was over the 100-yard mark on the ground for the third straight game, and he extended his season-opening streak of rushing touchdowns to four games with a one-yard scoring run late in the first quarter. Cook is averaging 5.4 yards per carry overall, even when factoring in an average of 3.4 yards per tote Week 1 against the Ravens. The versatile fourth-year pro also has multiple catches in three of the first four games heading into a Week 5 AFC East home showdown against the Patriots next Sunday night.
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Bills' James Cook: Eclipses 100 total yards in win
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Cook rushed 19 times for 108 yards and a touchdown and brought in all three targets for 10 yards in the Bills' 31-21 win over the Dolphins on Thursday night.
Cook served as the ideal complement to the exploits of Josh Allen through the air (228 yards, three touchdowns). The star running back had a game-long run of 26 yards, so he was able to consistently find running room throughout the night. The 2022 second-round pick also recorded his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a two-yard run to cap off the first drive of the second half, and he'll take a stellar figure of 5.4 yards per carry into a Week 4 home matchup against the Saints on Sunday, Sept. 28.
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Bills' James Cook: Two TDs in Week 2 win
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Cook rushed 21 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns while catching his only target for three yards in Sunday's 30-10 win over the Jets.
Cook once again operated as the clear lead back, as Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combined for just 30 scrimmage yards, with most of the backups' opportunities coming after the game was well in hand. Buffalo capitalized on a drive-extending roughing the passer penalty to open the scoring with a one-yard Cook rushing touchdown, and he added a 44-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to extend the lead to 20-0. Cook's versatile skill set allows him to stay heavily involved regardless of game script, and he has three total touchdowns heading into Thursday's Week 3 home game against the 0-2 Dolphins after racking up 18 scrimmage TDs in the 2024 regular season.
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Bills' James Cook: Full participant Thursday
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Cook (hamstring) was listed as a full participant in Thursday's walk-through.
Cook was limited by a hamstring injury Wednesday, but Thursday's full participation listing suggests he isn't in any danger of sitting out against the Jets in Week 2. In the Bills' season-opening win over Baltimore, Cook turned 18 touches into 102 scrimmage yards and a touchdown while Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combined for 25 yards on four touches.
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Bills' James Cook: Tops 100 scrimmage yards with TD
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Cook rushed 13 times for 44 yards and a touchdown while catching all five of his targets for 58 yards in Sunday's 41-40 win over the Ravens.
Cook heated up after a quiet first half. He scored a two-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter and came two yards shy of tacking on a receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter, settling for a 51-yard gain on the play. Cook led the team in rushing yards and exceeded 100 scrimmage yards while Ty Johnson and Ray Davis combined for just three carries and three targets, so Cook unsurprisingly remains the clear lead back after signing a four-year, $48 million extension in August. Buffalo played catch-up throughout this win and will hope for a better defensive performance, which would allow for a more run-heavy game script, in Week 2 against the Jets.
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Bills' James Cook: Four-year extension with Bills
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Cook and the Bills have reached an agreement on a four-year contract extension for the running back, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
Per the report, Cook's four-year pact is for $48 million and includes $30 million guaranteed. The 2022 second-rounder, who had returned to practice Tuesday following a four day 'hold-in' is thus a candidate to play against the Bears on Sunday after not seeing any action in the Bills' preseason opener this past Saturday. As the 2025 regular season approaches, Cook remains the clear leader of a Buffalo backfield that also includes Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.
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Bills' James Cook: No return to practice
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Cook (contract) isn't practicing Thursday, Alex Brasky of Bills Digest reports.
Cook is out for a fourth straight practice, after making it clear over the weekend that he was sitting out (or "holding in") for "business" reasons. Bills coach Sean McDermott said Thursday morning that he expected Cook to practice, but the running back wasn't with his teammates when they went out on the field for the start of the session. Ray Davis and Ty Johnson will continue taking most of the first-team snaps in Cook's absence.
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Bills' James Cook: Not practicing Monday
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Cook is present for Monday's practice but not in uniform as he seeks a new contract, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.
He reported for June minicamp and the start of training camp before switching things up Sunday and seemingly moving to a "hold in" approach -- whereby he shows up to practice and meetings but doesn't do on-field work. When reporters asked him Sunday why he wasn't practicing, Cook simply said "business," a one-word answer that was also his response to the beat writers' other questions. In any case, his absence from practice frees up more first-team reps for Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.
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Bills' James Cook: No practice for 'business' reasons
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Cook didn't practice Sunday and said that the reason was "business" when asked after the session, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Cook is seeking a contract extension, but he reported for training camp and had previously been participating in practice. The star running back worked out on an exercise bike Sunday but didn't take part in team drills, per Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo. Cook's explanation for his lack of participation may suggest that he's planning to "hold in," meaning he could show up to practice but not actually take part while he remains without an extension. When Cook was asked Sunday if he'd return to practice Monday, his one-word answer was again "business."
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Bills' James Cook: Practices fully Wednesday
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Cook participated fully in Wednesday's training camp practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Cook, who's seeking a new deal with the Bills, wasn't in attendance for voluntary workouts or OTAs in the early spring but was present for the team's mandatory minicamp last month, and he is now "ready to go" for training camp, per coach Sean McDermott, via Alec White of the Bills' official site. As the coming campaign approaches, Cook remains locked in as Buffalo's top back, with Ray Davis and Ty Johnson set to reprise their complementary roles in the team's backfield.
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Bills' James Cook: Reporting for camp
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Cook (contract dispute) is reporting for the start of training camp but won't necessarily be a full participant, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Seeking an extension in the final year of his rookie contract, Cook stayed away from the Bills throughout OTAs before showing up for mandatory minicamp in mid-June. Reports back in June weren't optimistic about progress on an extension, but Pelissero notes that Cook still wants to stay in Buffalo. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggests Cook may end up "holding in," which would mean attending practices and meetings (and avoiding fines) but not actually practicing.
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Bills' James Cook: Not at voluntary OTAs
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Cook wasn't present for Tuesday's voluntary organized team activities, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
While Cook isn't participating in the Bills' voluntary OTAs, coach Sean McDermott noted that he's remained in contact with the running back, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal and seeking a contract extension. "Yeah, we're staying in touch, like you'd expect a player and a coach to do," McDermott said of the 2022 second-rounder. "So, James will be here when he's ready to be here and we move forward." While it remains to be seen whether Cook will be on the field for the team's mandatory minicamp (June 10-12), GM Brandon Beane maintains that he expects Buffalo's leading rusher to be ready to go for the 2025 season. Assuming that's the case, Cook will continue to lead a backfield that returns his top two backups from last season, Ray Davis and Ty Johnson.
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Bills' James Cook: Wants extension, more playing time
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Cook is seeking a contract extension and said he'd like to get more playing time as well, Ryan Talbot of newyorkupstate.com reports.
Cook scored 18 touchdowns during the 2024 regular season despite playing just 48 percent of snaps in his 16 appearances. He got a carry or target on 50.5 percent of his snaps, which helped make up for the modest playing time and allowed for a second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. He's perhaps the most obvious TD regression candidate in the league for 2025, but he can make up for any losses in per-touch productivity if the Bills give him a larger workload. That's far from guaranteed, of course, considering Cook is one of the league's smaller lead backs (listed at 190 pounds) and has 2024 fourth-round pick Ray Davis behind him on the depth chart. Ty Johnson also got a lot of playing time in 2024, mostly in clear passing situations, but he's scheduled for unrestricted free agency, whereas Cook has one year remaining on his rookie contract.
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Bills' James Cook: Romps over Denver in wild-card win
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Cook carried the ball 23 times for 120 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-7 wild-card win over the Broncos.
The third-year RB extended his touchdown streak to five games with a five-yard scamper early in the second quarter that put the Bills in the lead for good at 10-7. Cook erupted for 18 total TDs in the regular season, second in the NFL to Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs, and his role in the Buffalo offense is only going to grow in importance in the postseason. Cook faces a tougher matchup in the divisional round, however, as the Bills get ready to host a Ravens squad that allowed the fewest rushing yards per game and fewest yards per carry in the league in 2024.
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Bills' James Cook: Finds end zone again Sunday
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Cook carried the ball 10 times for 28 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Patriots.
The Bills rested a lot of key players in Week 18 with the No. 2 seed in the AFC already locked up, but Cook merely saw his usual workload reduced, as he split touches in the backfield with Ray Davis. Cook still saw enough action to score his 16th rushing TD on a one-yard plunge in the third quarter, tying him with Derrick Henry and later Jahmyr Gibbs for the NFL lead, and he got just enough yardage to put him over 1,000 for the second straight season. Cook has gotten into the end zone in four straight games, a streak he'll look to continue next weekend in the wild-card round against the Broncos.
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Bills' James Cook: Scores 15th rushing TD
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Cook rushed 15 times for 53 yards and a touchdown and wasn't targeted in Sunday's 40-14 win over the Jets.
Cook's yardage plummeted after he rushed for at least 100 yards in three of the previous four games. He ran in a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter for his 15th rushing touchdown of the campaign. Cook may not get a chance to add to that total in Week 18 against the Patriots since Buffalo has locked in the No. 2 seed and could rest its starters.
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Bills' James Cook: Scoring offsets inefficiency Sunday
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Cook rushed nine times for 20 yards and two touchdowns while recording five receptions on six targets for seven yards in Sunday's 30-21 win over the Chiefs.
Cook struggled on the ground against the interior of the Chiefs' defense, as many talented backs have against the third-ranked rushing defense this season. However, the 25-year-old made an impact in the box score by finishing off a pair of lengthy offensive drives in the first half with short trips to the end zone. It was the Georgia product's worst yardage output of the season but not his worst fantasy showing. Cook has generated 751 yards from scrimmage with 11 combined touchdowns in 10 starts as the Bills enter a bye week before hosting the 49ers on Dec. 1.
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Bills' James Cook: Gets 15 touches in Week 9 win
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Cook rushed 10 times for 44 yards and caught five of six targets for 25 yards in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Dolphins.
Cook got 10 of the 17 rushing attempts among Buffalo's running backs, but backups Ray Davis and Ty Johnson were both more efficient in terms of yards per carry, and Davis had a 63-yard receiving touchdown. Cook has been feast or famine on the ground, with four games of at least 71 rushing yards and four games of 32 or fewer heading into Week 10 against the Colts. He has seven rushing touchdowns this season after scoring only four times on the ground across the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons combined.
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Bills' James Cook: Monster game Sunday
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Cook rushed 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns while adding 22 yards on three receptions in Sunday's 31-10 win over the Seahawks.
Cook was the star on offense in a one-sided affair Sunday, running roughshod over Seattle's porous rushing defense en route to two scores. The 24-year-old had already scored twice in a game this season, but this was his first 100-plus-yard rushing contest in 2024. Cook has now produced a combined 597 yards from scrimmage with eight total touchdowns through seven games, making him an elite fantasy tailback heading into next Sunday's tilt against Miami.
