The NFL has a lot of greatness at the running back position, and the Buffalo Bills are extremely fortunate to have one of the best in James Cook. Prior to Cook, the Bills had Devin Singletary who was decent, but he was nowhere near the back that Cook has become.
After Week 5, he currently ranks third in rushing yards (532 yards) and he's tied in sixth place for rushing touchdowns (6). He is on his way to reaching his fourth consecutive 1,000+ yard season. At the end of Week 5 last season, Cook had 450 rushing yards so he is ahead of schedule this season.
Cook isn't just a great runner, but he can do some damage in the receiving game as well. That hasn't been the case this season, he's had 250+ yards through the air the last three seasons. He is a clear-cut top back in the NFL without a doubt, but he's had a major problem throughout his career that has been frustrating Bills Mafia.
James Cook's ball security has become major problem for Bills
For anyone that remembers, James Cook's first NFL carry back in 2022 against the Los Angeles Rams resulted in a fumble. He's got 15 career fumbles which includes a career-high 6 fumbles last season. However, there is an unfortunate great chance that he will pass that number this season.
Through 5 games, Cook already has 4 fumbles on the season, with two of them coming against the Rams. One of his fumbles came in overtime that should have been the back-breaker for the Bills. Luckily, Greg Rousseau bailed out that mistake with his blocked field goal that kept the Rams from kicking a game-winning try.
Out of the 15 career fumbles, Cook has lost 7 of them. That's nearly half of it which is just completely unacceptable. In fact, Joe Brady spoke with the media on Tuesday and talked about how Cook needs to do a better job at protecting the ball or he will get fewer carries, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
Bills must fix this issue before it's too late
For as great as Cook is and has shown to be, we can't ignore the fumbling issue. The last thing Bills fans want to see is the Bills be in a crucial game, or in a crucial moment of a game, and Cook take the handoff just to have it either punched out or he loses his grip on it.
We just saw it Monday night when LB Nate Landman punched it out twice on Cook, including the one in overtime. The Bills could have easily lost against the Rams because of that fumble by Cook. Thankfully, the special teams unit for Buffalo made a play when they needed it.
Heading into Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, there should be an emphasis on ball security with Cook. If he can protect the football better than he did against the Rams, maybe the Bills won't be in such a nail-biting game that stresses out Bills fans.
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