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If Buffalo Bills running back James Cook needed any motivation as he heads towards the offseason, he's just gotten it.
Fresh off leading the NFL in rushing yards with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns, Cook can easily be seen as one of the league's best in 2025, if not the best.
But not according to former NFL back Maurice Jones-Drew.
In his top NFL running backs piece for NFL.com, Jones-Drew had the NFL's rushing champion at No. 4.
Yeah, you read that right.
"After signing an extension in the preseason, Cook showed his worth by leading the NFL in rushing yards," Jones-Drew wrote. "He was an absolute playmaker out of the backfield, so it was no surprise that Buffalo finished No. 1 in the league in rushing offense. Cook ended up with 12 games with 100-plus scrimmage yards (T-most in the NFL) and the Bills were 11-1 in those games.
"They were 1-4 when he had fewer than 100 yards, further proving his worth to that offense."
More: Bills' Keon Coleman making waves ahead of Broncos clash
Was Cook disrespected in RB rankings?
These sort of lists are subjective, but there's a case to be made.
Bijan Robinson (1), Christian McCaffrey (2), and Jonathan Taylor (3) were all ahead of Cook.
James had more yards than any of them, and only Taylor had more TDs than Cook.
But where I think James got hurt in this discussion was the dual-threat ability the others have over him, particularly Bijan and McCaffrey.
Both surpassed 800 receiving yards and had at least four receiving TDs. Cook had just 291 yards and two receiving TDs. That might have hurt his case.
Still, Cook was one of the most consistent backs in football, and he deserves to be at the top of the NFL running back mountain after his 2025 season.
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