Why RB James Cook Is Second-Most Important Player to Bills' 2026 Success

As the team enjoys its summer break, Bills On SI will unveil its Top 25 Player Rankings (based upon expected impact) for the 2026 season. The ranking methodology is based on positional value, past performance and expectations for any player. RB James Cook, the NFL's reigning rushing champion, lands at No. 2.

The Buffalo Bills saw a rushing champion for the first time in half a century in 2025, and that man will be back with a chip on his shoulder.

James Cook will be on the first year of a four-year, $46 million contract he signed in August and coming off a historic season, he'll be looking to prove his critics wrong and bring Buffalo its first Lombardi Trophy.

"I mean, it [winning the rushing title] was good, but the ultimate goal is to win a championship. And that didn't happen," Cook said while addressing reporters during minicamp in Orchard Park in June.

With offensive coordinator Joe Brady becoming head coach and most of his blocking unit returning, it's possible that Cook could have the best rushing season in Bills history.

James Cook's 2025 season

JAMES COOK. 44-YARD TD.

BUFvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/LuloZeFLqO
— NFL (@NFL) December 21, 2025

Cook benefited from the Bills calling rushing plays at the second-highest rate in the NFL at 49.84%, which helped him rush for 1,621 yards on 309 carries (5.2 a pop) and 12 touchdowns.

The Georgia product's rushing total was the sixth-highest of any NFL rushing leader in the past 11 seasons, which is impressive considering he only toted the ball twice in the Bills' regular-season finale against the New York Jets. He could've easily reached 1,700 yards if he played all the way.

Cook's receiving stats remained similar to 2024. He caught 33 passes for 291 yards and 3 more touchdowns, compared to 32, 258 and 2 the year prior. On SI's Alex Brasky noted that with some of the blocking departures, utilizing Cook in the passing game more often could be a solution.

Running off left tackle Dion Dawkins is Cook's biggest strength, according to his Next Gen Stats charts, but regardless of how Brady schemes plays for him, his presence will be needed to help the Bills control the ball and win games.

Controlling the pace

Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Bills running back James Cook (4) rushes the ball past New York Jets safety Andre Cisco (8) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thanks to Cook's excellence, the Bills led the NFL in time of possession, controlling the ball for an average of 33 minutes and 18 seconds per game. It was an entire minute and two seconds more than the second-place Los Angeles Chargers.

To maintain such a pace, the Bills will need Alec Anderson or Austin Corbett to plug in at left guard and Ben VanSumeren or Jason Acker to be a viable replacement for fullback Reggie Gilliam, who signed with the rival Patriots, and his 235 snaps last season, which accounted for 20.76% of them.

Excluding Week 18, Cook averaged 21.3 carries in each of the Bills' regular-season victories and 14.4 in losses. highlighting his importance to the offense.

The Bills will be undergoing a lot of transition in Year 1 under Brady as head coach, yet Cook's role will only become more crucial in 2026 as Buffalo seeks its first Super Bowl.

The rest of the Top 25 so far:

25. RB Ty Johnson, June 16
24. CB Maxwell Hairston, June 17
23. K Tyler Bass, June 18
22. CB Dee Alford, June 19
21. LB Dorian Williams, June 20
20. RB Ray Davis, June 22
19. S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, June 23
18. G Alec Anderson, June 24
17. TE Dawson Knox, June 25
16. DT Deone Walker, June 27
15. TE Dalton Kincaid, June 28
14. G O'Cyrus Torrence, June 29
13. LB Terrel Bernard, July 1
12. C Connor McGovern, June 30
11. LB Greg Rousseau, July 2
10. WR Khalil Shakir, July 3
9. LB Bradley Chubb, July 7
8. S Cole Bishop, July 8
7. OT Spencer Brown, July 14
6. DT Ed Oliver, July 15
5. WR DJ Moore, July 16
4. CB Christian Benford, July 17
3. OT Dion Dawkins, July 18

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