James Cook is prepared to deliver a delicious dish to Buffalo Bills fans this season. CBS Sports recently listed the second-year running back a 2023 NFL breakout candidate.
“His brother, Dalvin, got more headlines this offseason, bouncing from the Vikings to the all-star Jets. But the younger Cook is perhaps even better positioned to succeed, working next to the supersized Josh Allen after a very efficient rookie year (5.7 yards per carry),” CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin wrote.
Cook was a steal as the 63rd overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. In his rookie season with the Bills, Cook amassed 507 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Additionally, the former Georgia standout recorded 21 catches for 180 receiving yards and a touchdown.
While Cook was excellent, fans only saw a sliver of his potential. The 5-foot-11 running back was held to limited snaps as a backup for Devin Singletary. Now a starter, Cook will have nothing holding him back from a standout season.
“With Devin Singletary gone, he’s slated for a full-time gig, albeit with Damien Harris and Latavius Murray in tow to shoulder the grunt work that might otherwise wear him down,” Benjamin wrote. “On a Bills offense that’s always shooting for the stars, don’t be surprised if he’s a multipurpose machine come playoff time.”
In the Bills’ season opener, Cook looked the part. Although Buffalo fell to the New York Jets 22-16 in overtime, Cook boasted 12 rushes for 46 yards, tallying five first-down carries. Cook wasn’t only a threat in the ground game.
The Florida native also hauled in four receptions for 17 yards. Bills head coach Sean McDermott is confident his RB1 can blossom into a star this season.
“I like James Cook, (he) had a really good first season — in particular, the back half of his first season,” McDermott said in the offseason. “And we look forward to getting him back at the proper time and seeing what he can do in Year 2 for us.”
If Cook can mimic a fraction of collegiate success in the NFL, McDermott will be a happy man. Cook appeared in 50 games over his four year career in Athens, rushing the ball 230 times over that span for 1503 yards, 14 touchdowns, and a 6.5 yard per attempt average.
Cook was also a consistent tool in the Georgia receiving game, with 67 career reception for 730 yards, six receiving touchdowns and a 10.9 yard per catch average.
Watch Cook attempt to help his Bills bounce back on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
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