Buffalo Bills running back James Cook earned the league rushing title last season on a thrilling finish, with Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry making a strong charge but falling just short of passing him in the season’s final game.
But Cook might not be able to hold off Henry for a second straight year, with an NFL insider predicting that the Bills running back will fail in defending the franchise’s first rushing title in more than 50 years.
James Cook Won’t Repeat as Rushing Champion, Analyst Predicts
In an article outlining some surprise predictions for the upcoming season, Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport predicted that Henry would defy Father Time and win back the rushing title at age 33.
“Generally speaking, running backs tend to start to decline at about the age of 28. The wear-and-tear of multiple NFL seasons takes its toll. They lose a little explosiveness and tend to become more injury-prone,” Davenport wrote. “Someone forgot to tell that to Derrick Henry of the Baltimore Ravens.”
Davenport noted that Henry fell just short of Cook last season — with the Ravens stashing him in the second half of a season finale loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers even though he was well on pace to pass Cook — but will get the proper volume to unseat the Bills running back in 2026.
“Henry turned 32 last January, but it didn’t show in his performance last year—his 1,595 yards was second in the league behind only James Cook of the Buffalo Bills,” Davenport wrote. “He was fourth in the NFL in carries and only Jonathan Taylor of the Indianapolis Colts had more scores on the ground.”
Henry also got a ringing endorsement from new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, Davenport added.
“Just to see a guy like that with the experience and success that he’s had sort of go about his process of getting better, he’s an unbelievable example for everybody else on the team—offense, defense, whatever—of how you operate when you want to learn, and you want to be the best,” Minter said. “It’s just unbelievable the way he goes about his business.”
James Cook Remains a Steal for Bills
Cook earned the league rushing title after a somewhat tense offseason, when he was pressing the team to sign a long-term extension. The Bills ultimately gave Cook a new deal with an $11.5-million annual average, a contract that quickly became a steal for the team after his career-best season.
SI.com’s Colin Richey wrote that a string of new, larger running back contracts has pushed Cook closer to the middle of the road for his position.
“He showed last season that his explosiveness, agility, contact balance and vision make him one of the most dangerous runners in the league, and he left no doubt that he’s worth every penny he’ll make over the remainder of the contract,” Richey wrote. “With three Pro Bowls, a second-team All Pro, and several season stat titles to his name already, Cook’s contract should be viewed as one of the best bargains in the NFL.”
Bills RB James Cook Faces Tough Prediction for Upcoming Season