While the talk of the town is what the Buffalo Bills plan to do when it comes to addressing their needs at wide receiver, they will have a reliable safety valve out of the backfield for Josh Allen and Co. to lean on.
James Cook was quietly one of the best players in football last season. He finished fourth in the league in rushing, and sixth in the NFL in scrimmage yards behind only Puka Nacua, Breece Hall, Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, and Christian McCaffrey. He also averaged 5.6 yards per touch, which was fourth in the NFL amongst all running backs.
Cook's importance really began to flash once Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator after the loss to the Denver Broncos.
If you look at his usage from Weeks 1-10, he didn't have a game with north of 20 carries, nor was he utilized as much as he should have been in the passing game. In the first 10 games, Cook didn't have a game with over five receptions- he had five or more receptions in two of the Bills' next three games, and was the leading receiver for Buffalo in their massive win over the Kansas City Chiefs- the win that started their five-game win streak to end the season and ultimately win them their fourth consecutive AFC East crown.
Plus, the Bills' production with Cook on the field compared to when he was off the field was evident. When Cook was on the field, the Bills' passing game had an EPA of 0.12, per Sports Info Solutions, which would place them third in the NFL. Without Cook, their EPA per play on passing plays dropped to 0.01, which would put them at 11th in the league. And while that is still a respectable number, going from one of the elite passing attacks to simply an above average passing attack is a very noticeable drop off.
Cook may not get the glamour of a Christian McCaffrey, but it's inarguable that he is the Bills' second-most important offensive player, or maybe just overall player in general, behind Josh Allen. And with an offense that will continue to feed him the football and try to get him touches in the passing game as well, an All-Pro season could be on the horizon.
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