Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is ready to defend his NFL rushing title in a new home.
The Bills still have one more week until the start of training camp, but Cook was back in Buffalo to share a look inside the team’s new stadium. The running back is looking to hit the field after his career-best 1,621 rushing yards in 2025, and had a simple announcement to show that he’s ready.
James Cook Shares Statement on New Stadium
Cook took to Instagram to share a video of himself inside the new stadium, adding a one-word caption: “Loading.”
Cook walked next to Bills legend Thurman Thomas, who had a firsthand role in putting the new stadium together. Thomas owns a construction company in Buffalo that was contracted to install seating in the new Highmark Stadium.
It will still be a while before Cook gets to play on the new field, even though the Bills have rookies reporting to training camp on Tuesday and veterans a week later. The team holds its training camp in St. John Fisher University outside Rochester, New York, before moving to Buffalo later in August.
Other Bills players have expressed excitement about the opening of the new stadium, though quarterback Josh Allen also offered a criticism. In an appearance on the “Like a Farmer” podcast, Allen seemed to hint that he wished the team fully closed off the roof to take away the wind.
Allen noted that the design is meant to blunt most of the wind’s impact, however.
“As long as there’s no wind, we’re good,” Allen said. “They claim that the way they design it, the way that the ‘roof’ and the perforated metal siding will dilute the wind so you’re not gonna feel too much of it.”
James Cook Ready for More Changes
Cook said he’s ready to start working this season, which will see the team playing in a new stadium and under a new head coach. Former offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over after the team fired longtime coach Sean McDermott after last year’s playoff loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Bills running back said in an appearance on “Good Morning Football” that he’s already noticed a difference in the energy around the team.
“I mean, it’s just a new energy in the building,” Cook said, via Pro Football Talk’s Myles Simmons. “It’s going to always be like that, I feel like, when you have a new head coach coming in — a young one, too, at that. I mean, Joe’s a young head coach coming in, his first year being a head coach. I mean, he’s got a new energy. That’s what I feel like.”
The Bills are returning an identical backfield to 2025, with Cook serving as the No. 1 running back with Ty Johnson and Ray Davis behind him. Davis also found a role as a kick returner, taking over the position early in the season after the Bills tried several other options to little success. Davis was an immediate hit, becoming one of the league’s top kick returners and earning an All-Pro spot.
Bills RB James Cook Makes Simple Announcement as Training Camp Nears