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NFL writer predicts All-Pro nod for Bills star RB in 2024 NFL season

One outlet believes that Buffalo Bills running back James Cook could earn All-Pro honors in the 2024 NFL season.

Kyle Silagyi

Jan 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs with the football against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) runs with the football against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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Not all development is linear, and while this sentiment is true of Buffalo Bills running back James Cook, he’s generally been on an upward trajectory throughout his young professional career.

He showed discernible development between his first and second seasons, displaying improved vision and decision-making ability that allowed him to become the team’s featured back. He finished the 2023 campaign fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,122) and sixth in yards from scrimmage (1,567), the quality of his play (and usage) increasing after Joe Brady took over as the team’s interim offensive play-caller in Week 11. The second-year back became a focal point of the offense after Brady’s ascension, totaling 137 touches for 730 yards down the stretch of the season.

With Brady now in the role full-time, there’s reason to believe that Cook’s usage and production will increase even further in the 2024 campaign. Sports Illustrated writer Matt Verderame is seemingly buying into the hype; in a recent article predicting first-time All-Pros at each position for the upcoming season, the analyst circled Cook as his potential breakout running back. 

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“Cook was heavily relied upon once Joe Brady took over at midseason as Buffalo’s offensive coordinator,” Verderame wrote. “Now that Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone, expect Cook to see even more touches as the Bills move to a more ground-and-pound style of football.

The ingredients for a stellar year three from Cook are present. He’s demonstrably talented and has earned the trust of his play-caller, doing so in just a handful of weeks last season. Given the full-time gig in January, Brady had the opportunity to truly put his stamp on the team’s offense in the offseason; given the now unproven nature of the receiving corps sans Diggs and Davis, one could expect Brady to continue to shift his offense to a more run-focused attack, something that will only benefit Cook.

James Cook Josh Allen
Nov 5, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) hands the ball off to running back James Cook (4) in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

The opportunity for Cook to earn All-Pro honors is certainly there—the only thing potentially holding him back is his limited touchdown upside. The back reached paydirt only six total times last season due to quarterback Josh Allen’s penchant for using his legs in the red zone; the veteran signal-caller scored 15 rushing touchdowns last season. Buffalo may lean away from Allen as a rusher in the red zone this season, but his opportunities won’t necessarily go to Cook; the team drafted Ray Davis, a 5-foot-8 power rusher out of Kentucky, in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

If Cook is able to make the most of his presumably increased role and score his fair share of touchdowns this fall, All-Pro honors could very well be in order. He would be the first Buffalo running back to earn a first-team All-Pro nod since Thurman Thomas did so in 1991, a year in which he also took home the NFL MVP Award.

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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