The 2025 season is so close yet so far away as well. As the season approaches, Bills fans are beyond excited for the Week 1 Sunday Night Football showdown against the Baltimore Ravens in Buffalo.
Bills Mafia should be hoping that James Cook is on the field (which all signs point towards that he will be) seeing as how there has been nothing but drama involving the Bills and Cook surrounding a contract extension. However, Cook did report for mandatory minicamp and has said that he plans on being at next month’s training camp. So for now, things are cooler than what they were this past offseason.
Cook has become one of the best running backs in the NFL with his rushing ability, but there are other quality backs in the AFC East. So, where does Cook rank amongst the RB1s in the division? Let’s take a look.
Ranking the running backs in AFC East for 2025 season
4.) Rhamondre Stevenson - New England Patriots
While I believe that TreVeyon Henderson will be the starting back for the Patriots at some point in the season, right now it is Rhamondre Stevenson. Throughout his career, Stevenson has been a solid running back but he's not flashy or someone you have to really prepare for.
He had a career-high 7 fumbles last year but he also rushed for a career-high 7 touchdowns. Just due to the fact that the Patriots drafted Henderson early in the second round and Stevenson’s fumbling issue, he comes in at No. 4 on this list.
3.) Breece Hall - New York Jets
If Breece Hall was on any other team other than the Jets, you could make the argument that he would be a top-five back in the league. He is one of the few bright spots on the Jets and Jets fans are hoping that with a new regime and fresh start at quarterback with Justin Fields, Hall can finally break 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career.
There’s too much inconsistency with Hall’s game. He either goes off the charts or he is nowhere to be found. Hall comes in as the third best RB1 of the AFC East heading into the 2025 season.
2.) De'Von Achane - Miami Dolphins
De’Von Achane is one of those running backs that no one talks about enough yet he produces very well on the field. Last season, Achane had 12 total touchdowns, rushing for 900 yards and had just under 600 receiving yards. He is a true dual-threat in Miami’s offense and there is an argument that he, not Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, is the best option for Tua Tagovailoa on the offense.
1.) James Cook - Buffalo Bills
With back-to-back 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and being tied for the most rushing touchdowns last season (16), James Cook comes in at the top of this list. However, it was a closer call between him and Achane. Even though Achane has shown to be more of a threat in the passing attack, Cook’s ability to average 4.9 yards per carry without being a three-down back puts him as the best back in the division heading into this season.