James Cook flexes Georgia ‘RBU’ muscle, joins NFL’s 200-yard rushing club
James Cook continues to prove his value to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL, rushing for a career-high 216 yards along with two touchdowns on 19 carries in Buffalo’s 40-9 victory over Carolina on Sunday.
Cook, whose career-high performances in 50 games at UGA were 12 carries and 104 yards rushing, has emerged as one of the most elite backs at the professional level in his fourth season in the NFL.
It wasn’t so long ago that Cook was holding out during Buffalo’s training camp in search of a deal that would make him among the highest-paid running backs in the NFL on the heels of a 2024 season that saw him rush for 1,009 yards while tying a franchise record with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cook’s new deal, worth a reported $48 million with an annual value of $12 million — that ranks tied for sixth in the NFL, per OvertheCap.com — is beginning to look like a bargain.
Cook ranks second in the NFL with 753 yards rushing, fourth in rushing touchdowns (7), and first in yards per carry (6.0) by rushers with 100 carries or more.
Cook’s teammates at Georgia saw it coming long ago, as reflected in a 2019 DawgNation story, when former UGA linebacker Nate McBride described what it was like trying to tackle him.
“He’s shifty, you think when you see the speed it might be hard for him to cut, but I’m telling you he’s running this way one second, and then the next second, he’s running the other way,” McBride said.
“It’s hard to get a read on him, especially at practice, so I know for other teams it’s hard to tackle him,” he said. “He’s so balanced. He’ll be sideways and still be running, I don’t understand it.”
J.R. Reed, a former All-SEC safety and team captain, was another teammate awed by Cook’s ability at Georgia, even before he emerged as a collegiate star.
“Cook is just a lot, he’s just so fast, man, he’s so fast, he’s hard to touch,” Reed said in a story published six years ago. “He has really good balance, it’s hard to get him out of bounds, he’ll cut those corners and there will be an inch on the sideline, and he’ll tightrope it all the way down it to the end zone.
“You have to be really, really tight on your angles with Cook, because he’ll either cut it back or he’ll turn it up on you, so you have to be smart and track that hip.”
Cook described his running style after his 200-yard performance against Carolina as “smooth, just being patient, and just seeing it and hitting it.”
NFL defenses are still trying to catch up to Cook and the Buffalo Bills, as they sit second in the AFC East with a 5-2 record, a half-game back of the division-leading New England Patriots (6-2).
Cook made it clear he’s aiming for more.
“We just have to keep that edge,” Cook said, “and keep working hard and go back to work on Monday.”
Other standout performances from former Georgia players in the NFL this week:
• The PhillyDawgs were active in the Eagles’ 38-20 win over the New York Giants, with Nakobe Dean leading the way with five tackles. Jalen Carter had two tackles and a sack, and Jordan Davis matched Carter with two tackles and a sack. Kelee Ringo also recorded two tackles for Philadelphia from his cornerback position.
• Green Bay saw five former Georgia players contribute to its 35-25 win over Pittsburgh. Quay Walker had five tackles and two passes defended, Devonte Wyatt returned from a knee injury to make two tackle, Javon Bullard started in the secondary and made six tackles and recovered a fumble, Nazir Stackhouse also saw a limited number of snaps at defensive tackle, and tight end John FitzPatrick had a catch for 4 yards for the Packers’ offense.
• Roquan Smith stepped up for Baltimore in the Ravens 30-16 win over Chicago, recording 12 tackles. Malaki Starks contributed five tackles from his safety position in the win. John Jenkins played 30 snaps at defensive tackles for the Ravens, making two tackles as Baltimore did enough to overcome D’Andre Swift’s 11-carry, 45-yard rushing effort for the Bears.
• Ladd McConkey had six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown in the Los Angeles Chargers’ 37-10 win over Minnesota.
• Kamari Lassiter had seven tackles, a pass defended and an interception in Houston’s 26-15 win over San Francisco. Nick Chubb had 17 carries for 56 yards and caught two passes for 13 yards for the Texans offense against a 49ers defense that saw Mykel Williams make three tackles and Robert Beal total five tackles at linebacker.
• Tykee Smith continued to shine for the Tampa Bay defense, as he made eight tackles and defended a pass in the Bucs’ 23-3 win over New Orleans.
• George Pickens had seven catches for 78 yards for Dallas in the Cowboys’ 44-24 loss in Denver. Pickens ranks third in the NFL with 685 receiving yards.
About the Author
Mike is in his eighth season covering SEC and Georgia athletics for AJC-DawgNation and has 30 years of collegiate sports multimedia experience, 25 of them in the SEC including beat writer stops at Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee and now Georgia. Mike was named the National FWAA Beat Writer of the Year in January, 2018.
