BUFFALO, N.Y. — For too long the Buffalo Bills have been connected to every single running back available during NFL free agency and the draft, as the team scrambles to find some consistency in the backfield.
Locked on Bills host Joe Marino hopes that James Cook, the 63rd player selected in the 2022 NFL draft, will help quiet those conversations by putting together a complete second season as Buffalo's lead running back.
"I'm looking for James Cook to evolve," Marino said. "I'd love for James Cook to show that he can be a guy who warrants around 200 touches per year, to be a guy who gets more involved in the passing game."
Cook flashed plenty of potential in his first NFL campaign, carrying the ball 89 times for 507 yards and two touchdowns, while tacking on 21 receptions for 180 yards and another score.
The Bills moved on from longtime backs Devin Singletary and Zack Moss this offseason, replacing them with more complimentary pieces in Damien Harris and Latavius Murray and allowing Cook to take the keys to the kingdom behind Josh Allen in Buffalo's offense.
Allen, Cook, and a bevy of talented pass catchers including Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, and rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid should give Buffalo one of the top offenses in the league next season, and could be enough for them to challenge for their first Super Bowl appearance since 1994.