Bills' James Cook: 'Unquestioned' RB1?

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has reportedly separated himself from the pack throughout training camp.

The Buffalo Bills' running back room appeared to be very crowded throughout the offseason, but now, there seems to be some separation.

According to The Athletic, second-year running back James Cook has emerged as the clear top option in the backfield. The Bills were reportedly high on Cook heading into camp, and he has proved that hype to be justified.

"In practices, Cook continued to provide the team with plenty of reasons to be optimistic about both his outlook and role in their 2023 season," The Athletic writes. "Cook went coast-to-coast as their unquestioned top running back at camp, displaying excellent pass-catching skills and a good knack for finding running lanes between the tackles ... 

"With a cleared runway, Cook appears to be locked into a significant role barring injury."

A second-round pick out of Georgia in 2022, Cook spent his rookie season as primarily a rotational back. He had 89 carries for 507 yards (5.7 yards per attempt) and two touchdowns to go along with 21 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown through the air. 

With the loss of Devin Singletary in free agency, the top spot in Buffalo's backfield suddenly became available. The Bills have added to their running back room with Damien Harris and Latavius Murray, and rumors of them adding even more backs, including Cook's brother Dalvin Cook, have swirled throughout the offseason. Now that James Cook has seemingly separated himself from the pack, though, those rumors may quiet down.

The Bills have been looking for a capable back to take the load off star Josh Allen, and if Cook is playing as well as reports suggest, he may be what they've been looking for.

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You can follow Jonathan Alfano on Twitter at @JonAlfano_News

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