When James Cook was drafted in 2022 by the Buffalo Bills, he came in behind established starter Devin Singletary. But it didn’t take long for the youngster to leapfrog the veteran. Cook took over starting duties in 2023, earning a Pro Bowl nod. To be fair, though, he really broke out last year.
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He actually had fewer yards on the ground and through the air in 2024 than he did in 2023, but he was more efficient, bumping his yards-per-carry mark from 4.7 to 4.9. The biggest difference, however, was his nose for the end zone. Cook led all players with 16 rushing touchdowns last year, earning himself another Pro Bowl nod.
Cook improved enough to earn a completely new accolade as well: a spot on the annual NFL Top 100 Players list. The league’s social media accounts announced this on Monday morning, and the Bills back checks in at No. 89 after missing the cut last year.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@BuffaloBills RB James Cook lands at No. 89! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/q5OMIpfnaY
— NFL (@NFL) July 7, 2025
Cook finished the 2024 season with 1,009 rushing yards, good for 16th in the league, and he did so on just 207 carries, which was tied for 19th. He also added 258 receiving yards and two TDs on 32 receptions.
The third-year man is the 12th player to be revealed on this year’s list. It began last week, with the revelation of Nos. 100-91. Ladd McConkey, Leonard Williams, Aaron Jones, Drake London, LaVonte David, Josh Sweat, Sam LaPorta, Creed Humphrey, Jessie Bates, and Tua Tagovailoa made up that contingent. No. 90, Broncos end Zach Allen, was revealed earlier on Monday.
While this is Cook’s first time even making the list, many fans seem to think he’s far too low in the rankings. “This feels too low for James Cook. He’s got to be one of the most underrated running backs in the league. Overshadowed by the NFL MVP, obviously. But all Cook does is produce. Almost 5 yards-per-carry,” argued one.
“He was a beast last year,” said another. “Isn’t that too low?” asked a third.
Another fan asked, “Who ranked this sh*t?” Well, thankfully we can answer that question. This annual list is famously created and ranked by the players themselves. So it’s kind of hard to argue with the way they rank the guys they actually play against all year. They certainly know better than the salty user on Twitter.
Who ranked this shit ?
— GainzXYZ (@GainzXYZ) July 7, 2025
Cook was excellent last year in finding the end zone, but he was outside the top 15 in both yards and carries. Plus, having Josh Allen in the running game with you is a big help. No. 89 seems like a pretty fair evaluation here.
For context, last year’s 90-81 crop included a lot of proven Pro Bowl guys like DK Metcalf, Chris Lindstrom, Derwin James, Saquon Barkley, and Tristan Wirfs. That’s not bad company at all.
