Wikipedia

James Cook (running back)

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

James Cook
refer to caption
Cook with Georgia in 2021
No. 4 – Buffalo Bills
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1999-09-25) September 25, 1999 (age 25)
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
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2024
Rushing yards:2,332
Rushing average:4.9
Rushing touchdowns:15
Receptions:91
Receiving yards:820
Receiving touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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

Early life

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Cook grew up in Miami, Florida, and attended Miami Central Senior High School.[2][3] He rushed for 709 yards and eight touchdowns on 99 carries as a freshman.[4] After his freshman year, Cook took extra courses and reclassified from a sophomore to a junior.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7] However, he later decommitted during the summer before his senior year.[8] Cook later signed a letter of intent to play at Georgia after considering offers from Louisville and Florida.[9] Cook transferred to Miami Northwestern Senior High School after his senior football season for his final semester of high school.[10] Cook finished high school as a 4 star recruit.[8]

College career

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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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13] Cook missed the 2021 Peach Bowl following the death of his father.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16] After the end of the season, Cook declared that he would be entering the 2022 NFL draft.[17]

College statistics

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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

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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[18][19][20]

2022 season

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Cook was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round, 63rd overall, in the 2022 NFL draft.[21] 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.[22] In Week 5, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cook scored his first professional touchdown on a 24-yard rush in the 38–3 victory.[23] In Week 13, against the New England Patriots, he had 105 scrimmage yards in the 24–10 victory.[24] 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.[25] Cook scored a rushing touchdown in the Wild Card Round 34–31 victory over the Miami Dolphins.[26]

 
Cook at the 2024 Pro Bowl

2023 season

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Cook became Buffalo's primary running back for the 2023 season with previous starter Devin Singletary departing for the Houston Texans in free agency,[27] 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.[28] 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.[29] He finished the 2023 season with 237 carries for 1,122 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to go with 44 receptions for 445 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns. He had eight games on the season with at least 100 scrimmage yards.[30]

2024 season

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In Week 2 of the 2024 season, Cook had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in the 31–10 victory over the Dolphins, earning AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[31][32]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Legend
Bold Career high
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
2024 BUF 11 11 151 703 4.7 65 11 26 195 7.5 25 1 0 0
Career 44 24 477 2,332 4.9 65 15 91 820 9.0 48 6 5 3

Postseason

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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

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Cook was arrested by Athens police in December 2019 for driving with an open alcohol container and driving without a valid license.[33]

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.[34]

References

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  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. ^ May, Jed (January 1, 2022). "James Cook shines in Miami homecoming". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Villa, Walter (August 1, 2023). "FIU hoping for Miami Central-like depth at the running back position". Miami Herald. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  4. ^ Kalland, Robby (March 11, 2016). "Dalvin Cook's younger brother commits to Florida State for 2019". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  5. ^ Deen, Safid (May 15, 2016). "FSU RB commit James Cook reclassifies to Class of 2018". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  6. ^ Weiszer, Mark (October 30, 2020). "NFL star Dalvin Cook on his brother, UGA football's James Cook". Athens Banner-Herald. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  7. ^ Baker, Matt (March 11, 2016). "Dalvin Cook's younger brother commits to Florida State football". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "James Cook, brother of former FSU star Dalvin Cook, decommits from Seminoles". Orlando Sentinel. July 4, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Rapp, Timothy (October 26, 2017). "4-Star RB James Cook Commits to Georgia over Louisville, Others". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  10. ^ "All-American running back recently transferred to rival school". Miami Herald. December 4, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  11. ^ "Georgia RB Cook arrested on open container charge". National Post. Reuters. December 14, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Flaherty, Kevin (August 15, 2021). "Scout: James Cook among 2022 NFL Draft's most talented running backs". 247Sports.com. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ "James Cook Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  19. ^ "2022 Draft Scout James Cook, Georgia NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  20. ^ "James Cook 2022 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  21. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  22. ^ 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.
  23. ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills – October 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  24. ^ "Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – December 1st, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  25. ^ "James Cook 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  26. ^ "Wild Card – Miami Dolphins at Buffalo Bills – January 15th, 2023". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  27. ^ Williams, Jonathan (August 7, 2023). "James Cook Transitioning Into Starting Role for Buffalo Bills". SI.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  28. ^ Podell, Garrett (December 17, 2023). "Bills vs. Cowboys score, takeaways: Buffalo bullies Dallas on the ground behind James Cook's career day". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  29. ^ Dimmitt, Zach (December 23, 2023). "James Cook Ends Long Franchise Drought vs. Chargers". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "James Cook 2023 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  31. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 13, 2024). "James Cook's three-touchdown homecoming highlights Bills' win over Dolphins on Thursday". NFL.com. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  32. ^ Gordon, Grant (September 18, 2024). "Saints RB Alvin Kamara, Bills RB James Cook highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  33. ^ Towers, Chip (December 14, 2019). "Georgia running back James Cook arrested in Athens". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  34. ^ 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.
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