James Cook (running back)

James Cook

Cook with Georgia in 2021
No. 4 – Buffalo Bills
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1999-09-25) September 25, 1999 (age 24) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:	Miami Central (West Little River, Florida)
College:	Georgia (2018–2021)
NFL draft:	2022  / Round: 2 / Pick: 63
Career history
Buffalo Bills (2022–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2023) CFP national champion (2021)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Rushing yards: 1,629 Rushing average: 5.0 Rushing touchdowns: 4 Receptions: 65 Receiving yards: 625 Receiving touchdowns: 5
Player stats at PFR

James Dalvin Cook (born September 25, 1999) is an American football running back for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Cook is the younger brother of fellow NFL running back Dalvin Cook. ^[1]

Early years

Cook grew up in Miami, Florida, and attended Miami Central Senior High School. He rushed for 709 yards and eight touchdowns on 99 carries as a freshman. ^[2] After his freshman year, Cook took extra courses and reclassified from a sophomore to a junior. ^[3] As a senior, he rushed for 782 yards and 10 touchdowns on 91 carries. Cook rushed for 2,019 yards and 30 touchdowns during his high school career. ^[4]

Cook was a highly rated recruit and initially committed to play college football at Florida State, where his brother was playing, after his freshman year of high school. ^[5] He later decommitted during the summer before his senior year. ^[6] Cook later signed a letter of intent to play at Georgia after considering offers from Louisville and Florida. ^[7] Cook transferred to Miami Northwestern Senior High School after his senior football season for his final semester of high school. ^[8]

College career

Cook played in 13 games as a freshman and gained 284 yards and scored two touchdowns on 41 carries with eight receptions for 89 yards. ^[9] He played in all 14 of Georgia's games and rushed 31 times for 188 yards and two touchdowns while also catching 16 passes for 132 yards in his sophomore season. ^[10] In 2020, Cook was the team's second-leading rusher with 303 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries and caught 16 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns. ^[11] Cook missed the 2021 Peach Bowl following the death of his father. ^[12]

Cook rushed for 728 yards and seven touchdowns and caught 27 passes for 284 yards and four touchdowns as a senior as the Bulldogs won the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship. ^[13] He was the leading receiver for Georgia with 112 yards and one touchdown on four receptions in the team's 34–11 win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl semifinal game. ^[14] After the end of the season, Cook declared that he would be entering the 2022 NFL draft. ^[15]

Collegiate statistics

Season	GP	Rushing				Receiving
		Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
2018	10	41	284	6.9	2	8	89	11.1	0
2019	13	31	188	6.1	2	16	132	8.3	0
2020	8	45	303	6.7	3	16	225	14.1	2
2021	15	113	728	6.4	7	27	284	10.5	4
Career	46	230	1,503	6.5	14	67	730	10.9	6

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	Vertical jump	Broad jump
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	199 lb (90 kg)	30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m)	9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m)	4.42 s	1.54 s	2.59 s	33.0 in (0.84 m)	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)
All values from NFL Combine [16] [17] [18]

Cook was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round, 63rd overall, in the 2022 NFL draft. ^[19] In Week 1, Cook made his NFL debut against the Los Angeles Rams. On his first career carry, Cook fumbled after a 2-yard gain. He did not receive another offensive touch for the remainder of the game. ^[20] In Week 5, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cook scored his first professional touchdown on a 24-yard rush in the 38–3 victory. ^[21] In Week 13, against the New England Patriots, he had 105 scrimmage yards in the 24–10 victory. ^[22] Overall, as a rookie, Cook appeared in 16 games. He finished with 89 carries for 507 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go along with 21 receptions for 180 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. ^[23] Cook scored a rushing touchdown in the Wild Card Round 34–31 victory over the Miami Dolphins. ^[24]

Cook at the 2024 Pro Bowl

Cook became Buffalo's primary running back for the 2023 season with previous starter Devin Singletary departing for the Houston Texans in free agency, ^[25] though goal-line and pass protection snaps went to veteran signing Latavius Murray. Against the Dallas Cowboys in week 15, Cook attained career highs in several single-game categories, including rush attempts (25), rush yards (179), total scrimmage yards (221), and total touchdowns (2), as the Bills routed Dallas 31–10. ^[26] The following week against the Los Angeles Chargers, Cook surpassed 1,000 rushing yards on the season, becoming the first Bills running back to do so since LeSean McCoy in 2017. ^[27]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/R	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2022	BUF	16	0	89	507	5.7	33	2	21	180	8.6	41	1	1	1
2023	BUF	17	13	237	1,122	4.7	42	2	44	445	10.1	48	4	4	2
Career		33	13	326	1,629	5.0	42	4	65	625	9.6	48	5	5	3

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/R	Lng	TD	Fum	Lost
2022	BUF	2	0	17	52	3.1	13	1	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
2023	BUF	2	2	36	140	3.9	12	0	8	26	3.3	8	0	0	0
Career		4	2	53	192	3.6	13	1	8	26	3.3	8	0	0	0

Personal life

Cook was arrested by Athens police in December 2019 for driving with an open alcohol container and driving without a valid license. ^[28]

In July 2020, Cook crashed into five unoccupied parked cars near downtown Athens. Moments before, according to police, Cook was traveling up to 85 mph, nearly striking an oncoming vehicle. Athens-Clark County deputy solicitor Janna Landreth offered to drop additional charges in the case if Cook pleaded guilty to reckless driving, for which Cook would have to pay a $670 fine, supply financial restitution to at-most two of the five damaged vehicles, and complete a defensive-driving course. Cook subsequently failed to appear in court relating to this case, for which Georgia Bulldogs football Director of Player Support Bryant Gantt claimed responsibility. Cook was not penalized for the missed date. ^[29]

References

1. Hamilton, Gerry (October 26, 2017). "James Cook, No.3 RB in Class of 2018, commits to Georgia". ESPN.com . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
2. Kalland, Robby (March 11, 2016). "Dalvin Cook's younger brother commits to Florida State for 2019". CBS Sports . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
3. Deen, Safid (May 15, 2016). "FSU RB commit James Cook reclassifies to Class of 2018". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
4. Weiszer, Mark (October 30, 2020). "NFL star Dalvin Cook on his brother, UGA football's James Cook". Athens Banner-Herald . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
5. Baker, Matt (March 11, 2016). "Dalvin Cook's younger brother commits to Florida State football". Tampa Bay Times . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
6. "James Cook, brother of former FSU star Dalvin Cook, decommits from Seminoles". Orlando Sentinel . July 4, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
7. Rapp, Timothy (October 26, 2017). "4-Star RB James Cook Commits to Georgia over Louisville, Others". Bleacher Report . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
8. "All-American running back recently transferred to rival school". Miami Herald . December 4, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
9. "Georgia RB Cook arrested on open container charge". National Post . Reuters. December 14, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
10. Flaherty, Kevin (August 15, 2021). "Scout: James Cook among 2022 NFL Draft's most talented running backs". 247Sports.com . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
11. Emerson, Seth (March 10, 2021). "Are Georgia RBs Zamir White and James Cook really as good as Nick Chubb and Sony Michel?". The Athletic . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
12. Schlabach, Mark (December 30, 2020). "Georgia Bulldogs RB James Cook to miss Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl after father's death". ESPN.com . Retrieved November 17, 2021.
13. Jeyarajah, Shehan (January 14, 2022). "Georgia tasked with rebuilding backfield as Zamir White, James Cook depart for 2022 NFL Draft". CBS Sports . Retrieved February 1, 2022.
14. Braziller, Zach (January 7, 2022). "Georgia's James Cook can finally one-up brother Dalvin with CFP win". New York Post . Retrieved February 1, 2022.
15. Dill, Jason (January 12, 2022). "Miami Central alum James Cook pens farewell message to Georgia Bulldogs after title win". Miami Herald . Retrieved February 1, 2022.
16. "James Cook Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
17. "2022 Draft Scout James Cook, Georgia NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
18. "James Cook 2022 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
19. "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
20. Owens, Jason (September 8, 2022). "Bills rookie RB James Cook fumbled on first NFL carry, doesn't touch ball again". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
21. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – October 9th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
22. "Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – December 1st, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
23. "James Cook 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
24. "Wild Card – Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – January 15th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
25. Williams, Jonathan (August 7, 2023). "James Cook Transitioning Into Starting Role for Buffalo Bills". SI.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
26. Podell, Garrett (December 17, 2023). "Bills vs. Cowboys score, takeaways: Buffalo bullies Dallas on the ground behind James Cook's career day". CBS Sports.
27. Dimmitt, Zach (December 23, 2023). "James Cook Ends Long Franchise Drought vs. Chargers". Sports Illustrated Buffalo Bills News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
28. Towers, Chip (December 14, 2019). "Georgia running back James Cook arrested in Athens". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN   1539-7459 . Retrieved November 22, 2023.
29. Judd, Alan; Jackson, Dylan; Peebles, Jennifer; Minshew, Charles (June 9, 2023). "'Out of control': Reckless culture off the field marks UGA football team". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved November 22, 2023.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com  ·  Pro Football Reference
• Buffalo Bills bio
• Georgia Bulldogs bio