Getty Josh Allen walks off the field after a game against the New England Patriots.
Josh Allen is sticking up for his new teammate who was criticized by fans for looking “depressed” about being in Buffalo.
The Bills quarterback took to Twitter to needle fans who accused rookie running back James Cook of looking less than enthused about being drafted by the Bills. Cook had already squashed speculation that he was unhappy in Buffalo shortly after the draft, and Allen backed him up with a bit of Twitter snark this week.
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Allen Sticks Up for Cook
The Bills gave their rookie class an introduction to Buffalo cuisine this week, filming a segment for their social media where they tried Buffalo wings, many of them for the first time. While many of the rookies seemed unsure about how to tackle the wings — and seemingly out of the loop that Buffalo fans prefer blue cheese and scoff at ranch dressing as the dip — Cook seemed to enjoy himself.
@BuffaloBills @lanovawings He smiled 😁
Allen shared the clip, making sure everyone noticed that Cook cracked a smile while he was sampling the wings.
“He smiled,” Allen tweeted, adding a smiling emoji.
The tweet seemed to reference a criticism that arose just after Cook was drafted. Fox 5 Atlanta reporter Miles Garrett posted a series of photos of a solemn-looking Cook as he learned that the Bills would be drafting him and trying on his jersey for the first time.
“James Cook does know the #Bills are good now right?” he tweeted.
James Cook does know the #Bills are good now right?
The post captured some viral attention, with others adding that Cook appeared “depressed” about being drafted by the Bills. The rookie running back responded to the criticism.
“I don’t be mad that’s just me I love buffalo and I’m excited to be here #BillsMafia,” Cook tweeted.
Cook’s Role in Buffalo
Cook has the potential to play a big role in the Bills offense this season, adding an element that had been missing in the past. Miles Ruder of Pro Football Focus believes the former Georgia running back will give Josh Allen a weapon that can help address one of the few weaknesses in the passing game — receivers who can rack up yards after the catch.
“Buffalo could use someone to take the pressure off Allen’s arm, as their pass-catchers combined to rank dead last in yards after the catch per reception (4.3) in 2021,” Ruder wrote. “The Bills’ franchise quarterback recorded the sixth-highest average depth of target (9.0) this past season while also attempting the second-most passes beyond 10 yards (223). It’s almost been a hindrance at times because of his reluctance to make underneath throws.”
Highest passer rating generated when targeted as a receiver since 2020
1️⃣ Bijan Robinson: 148.7
2️⃣ James Cook: 148.5
The Bills nearly landed another running back with a similar skill set, veteran J.D. McKissick, but he changed his mind about signing with the Bills and re-signed with the Washington Commanders. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Cook will bring the same kind of versatility to the Bills’ offense.
“We see his best skill set as a sub back, but I think he can handle carries too if we want to give him some more carries, but we really liked his skill set,” Beane said. “Again, similar to the one we saw with McKissic, a guy that’s got really good hands, very instinctive in the passing game. You can run all sorts of guys out in routes, it’s not that they can’t do it, but some guys just have the feel like a slot receiver.”
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