Bills to rely on key offensive weapon in 2026 and it's not Josh Allen

For most, the Buffalo Bills will go as far as Josh Allen takes them in any given year, but as we have seen under Joe Brady, work has been done to take that pressure off of Josh.

The run game, led by James Cook, who is now a perennial Pro Bowler and 1,000-yard rusher, and an elite quarterback who, when things go well, doesn't have to do much at all.

Cook, along with Ty Johnson and Ravis Davis, is a nice trio to have behind Allen, and you could make the case that it is one of the better running back rooms in football.

In fact, CBS Sports' Carter Bahns lists the top 10 running back tandems in football; he's got the Bills at No. 4.

"The Bills enter 2026 with the NFL's top rushing offense, and last year they racked up more touchdowns (30) than any other team," Bahns wrote. "Of course, Josh Allen is a huge catalyst here and effectively serves as the second option in a four-man ground game, but not even his efforts as a volume ballcarrier could prevent James Cook from pacing the league with a career-best 1,621 yards in 2025.

“With Ty Johnson behind him as a nice third-down back and short-yardage option and Ray Davis maintaining a small but often effective role, this is perhaps the deepest backfield in the game."

More: Analyst makes bold Falcons prediction for Tua Tagovailoa

Bills to rely on run game under Brady?

That seems like a safe bet.

Last season, the Bills were the joint-best rushing team in football, averaging 156.6 yards per game, as did the Baltimore Ravens.

So, the recipe going forward, most think, is rather simple. Lean on that run game.

Of course, having a quarterback like Allen, you still want to air it out, but there isn't big pressure to do it, because you have Cook, who is capable of taking over a game by himself. Then, with Johnson and Davis, they can pinch-hit and still be productive.

So, Buffalo has a couple of arrows in its quiver, and yes, Allen is the big one, but the run game might be the biggest offensive weapon Brady has in his first year as head coach.

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