Cook rushed four times for two yards and wasn't targeted in Saturday's 33-6 preseason loss to the Bears. Cook played the entire first quarter alongside Josh Allen before both checked out of the game to begin the second quarter, replaced by Ray Davis and Mitch Trubisky, respectively. While Cook failed to find running room in this one, his breakout 1,122-rushing yard 2023 regular season has earned the 24-year-old running back some breathing room atop the depth chart. The Bills will travel to Pittsburgh for their next preseason game next Saturday.
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Status
ACTIVELatest James Cook news
Team
Buffalo Bills
Birthdate
9/25/1999 (24)
Status
Active
HT/WT
5'11", 190 lbs
Draft Info
2022: Rd 2; Pk (BUF)
Birthplace
Miami, FL, USA
Position
RB
College
Georgia
Experience
3 seasons
Career History
Buffalo Bills
2022-Present
(3 seasons)
Cook rushed four times for two yards and wasn't targeted in Saturday's 33-6 preseason loss to the Bears. Cook played the entire first quarter alongside Josh Allen before both checked out of the game to begin the second quarter, replaced by Ray Davis and Mitch Trubisky, respectively. While Cook failed to find running room in this one, his breakout 1,122-rushing yard 2023 regular season has earned the 24-year-old running back some breathing room atop the depth chart. The Bills will travel to Pittsburgh for their next preseason game next Saturday.
Cook and other starters likely will play about a quarter in Saturday's preseason game against Chicago, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports. Coach Sean McDermott didn't mention Cook by name, but the running back likely be out there if Josh Allen is. McDermott confirmed that Allen is scheduled to start, leading an offense in which the top skill-position weapons figure to be Cook, TE Dalton Kincaid and WRs Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman. A relative lack of experience in the pass-catching corps could lead to the running backs being more emphasized, but there's some chance that benefits rookie Ray Davis and/or Ty Johnson rather than giving Cook a big uptick from last year's regular-season totals of 634 snaps (54.5 percent), 237 carries and 44 receptions.
Cook (personal) is returning to practice Monday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports. Cook missed one practice to attend to a personal matter. He's locked in as the lead back in Buffalo, leaving Ty Johnson, Ray Davis, Darrynton Evans and Frank Gore to compete for backup roles.
Cook is absent from Bills practice Sunday for personal reasons, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports. The nature of the personal matter Cook is dealing with hasn't been clarified, nor is it known how long the issue will keep the running back out of practice. At this point, there's no reason to believe he is in danger of missing substantial time. After compiling 1,567 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns last season, Cook is primed to lead the Buffalo backfield again in 2024.
Cook is slated to be joined by rookie fourth-rounder Ray Davis in the Bills backfield this coming season, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports. Cook is coming off a 2023 regular season in which he carried 237times for 1,122 yards and two TDs to go along with 44 catches for 445 yards and four more scores in 17 games. With veteran backs Latavius Murray and Damien Harris no longer in the mix, Davis should have an opportunity to step into a complementary role behind Cook, while potentially claiming a share of the team's short-yardage work. Also in the team's backfield mix are Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans and reported UDFA signing Frank Gore Jr., though none is likely to prevent Cook from maintaining steady enough volume in his third pro season.
Cook saw 14 carries to Latavius Murray's five, but quarterback Josh Allen always has the ability to hone in on the run game, as the latter posted a 7-41-1 line on the ground. In fact, Allen has more rushing touchdowns (5) than every other Bills player combined this season. As for Cook, his 4.8 yards per carry is great and he's got a decent role in the passing game with 18 catches on the season, plus he's the main ball carrier, but touchdowns will be tricky to come by even with Damien Harris (neck) out of action because there are so many other talents in the offense. Cook's high in carries for the season is 17, back in Week 2.