We all know that one man, Josh Allen, will decide whether the Buffalo Bills’ 2024 season succeeds or fails. If Allen is terrific, the Bills may be great as well. If Allen is poor, the squad will be sitting at home in January. The question is, who does Allen rely on to help him become great? And the somewhat surprise answer this season is running back James Cook.
Many of the players Allen has previously relied on, including wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, center Mitch Morse, and even defensive leaders Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, are no longer with the Bills. So, while Allen’s play is critical to the team’s ultimate success, he will still require assistance in all facets of the game to be the best version of himself.
Allen will need a good defense to make stops and return the ball to him. Several outstanding players, including Matt Milano’s comeback from injury last year, Von Miller’s return to full strength after an injury two seasons ago, and young veterans like Gregory Rousseau or Ed Oliver making the transition from star to superstar, might all help.
On the other side of the ball, Allen will require a good offensive line, a reliable pass-catcher or two, and a strong rushing game.
The offensive line is coming together, but the contest to replace Morse at center between guard Conner McGovern and youngster Sedrick Van Pran-Granger is worth watching. In the passing game, rookie Keon Coleman, as well as second- and third-year players such as WR Khalil Shakir and TE Dalton Kincaid, could prove to be vital tools during training camp.
Ultimately, the Bills’ success this season will be determined by their rushing game, and James Cook is the surprising Bills player that might make or break the 2024 season.
Why James Cook is crucial to the Bills’ 2024 season.
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) drops the ball while breaking into the open field. Cook sprinted 109 yards without breaking stride after the ball rebounded directly back into his hands.
]
Josh Allen can handle it all. He is the man in charge of the offensive, making decisions, and occasionally being his team’s best runner. However, the Bills perform best when the offense is balanced and Allen can pick his spots rather than attempting to be Superman.
When Allen dons his cape, he can win games on his own, but he can also make a slew of boneheaded plays and pass the ball to the opposing team, as shown in Week 1 against the New York Jets in 2023.
Last season, the offense swung too far in the Allen Hero Ball direction, prompting the departure of offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. Following a poor 5-5 start, Joe Brady replaced Dorsey, and Buffalo went 6-1 down the line to win the AFC East.
Last season’s turnaround was largely due to a focus on the run game, with James Cook playing a significant role. The former Georgia Bulldog averaged 11.7 carries per game in the team’s first ten games and 16.7 in the last seven. Cook’s highlight of this second half was a dominant 25-carry, 179-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14.
With the passing game in turmoil, at least to begin the season, the Bills’ running game must get going early and often.
At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Cook isn’t built to be a 30-carry-per-game bell cow, so Brady must make the most of the carries he does give the RB. Ray Davis, a fourth-round pick from Kentucky, is a 5-foot-8, 220-pound battering ram who can absorb some carries and keep Cook fresh throughout the game.
So, for the Bills to be their best in 2024, Cook must be the deadly home run hitter he is capable of being. He must also acquire a handle (pun intended) on his worst habit, fumbling. He lost his first touch in the NFL and fumbled four times last season.
If all of that happens, Cook will be Allen’s best buddy, and the former will be able to let the latter be his best self, picking and choosing when to dip into the phonebooth and slip on his superhero tights rather than forcing it since it’s the only way his team has to win.
And if Cook enables Allen to play in this peak condition, watch out. Despite losing some of their greatest names this summer, the Buffalo Bills might be legitimate Super Bowl contenders by the start of the 2025 calendar year.
