Why Bills RB James Cook is a prime breakout candidate

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is entering his third year, one where stats back up a breakout year coming.

Dec 17, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs the ball in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

James Cook is coming off of a solid sophomore season where the second-year back put up over 1,500 total yards with a pair of rushing touchdowns alongside four receiving touchdowns. It's not too shabby for the former second-round selection. However, in a Buffalo Bills offense that should continue to be explosive in 2024, the Georgia product could be a prime backout candidate heading into year three.

One of the main reasons for this assertion is that there are more opportunities for Cook to thrive with Joe Brady as his offensive coordinator and Josh Allen as his quarterback. First, Cook is a pass-catching back who brought in 44 of his 54 targets last year for 445 yards and four scores. Not only did Buffalo free up 25 running back targets in free agency losses, but they also have to fill the volume left by Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, who saw 241 passes go their way in 2023. Second, going back to losses in the backfield, there are over 100 rushing attempts vacated from last season. Lastly, this could finally be the year that Buffalo decides to take some of the pressure off Allen in the red zone and let Cook have a few of Allen's 15 rushing touchdowns. Now, this article isn't all about assuming that the Bills will give all the empty workload to Cook; there are several examples of stud running backs who blew up in year number three.

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The example Bills Mafia hopes that Cook turns into is the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey. The future Hall of Famer switched to an All-Pro level back in year number three. CMC's rushing touchdowns jumped from two as a rookie and seven as a sophomore to 15, and his all-purpose yards climbed by over 450.

Another back in that mold to make a massive leap is Austin Ekeler. Now, he didn't truly start until year three with the Chargers, but in his third year as the feature RB, his rushing yards jumped by over 400, and his total touchdowns went from three to 20.

Third-year explosions aren't limited to just prototypical three-down backs, either. Derrick Henry had a huge spike in production in year three for the Titans. The Crimson Tide product saw his rushing yards grow by over 300 and touchdowns from two to 12.

None of this guarantees that Cook will, well, cook in 2024, but there will certainly be opportunities for the Bulldog to spice up the Bills' backfield. With the examples above, I wouldn't be shocked if he cooked up some fantastic recipes in 2024.

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