Buffalo Bills running back James Cook had a breakout campaign in 2023, but apparently, EA Sports isn’t recognizing it.
Madden NFL 25’s running back ratings were released on Tuesday, and Cook was rated an 81. Twenty-four halfbacks were ranked ahead of him, which seems like a massive snub.
Only 12 running backs totaled 1,000 yards on the ground last season, and Cook was one of them. As a matter of fact, he finished fourth in the league with 1,122 yards.
Cook punched in a couple of rushing touchdowns and averaged 4.7 yards per carry in 2023. Plus, he hauled in 44 receptions for 445 yards and five scores. He made the Pro Bowl for his efforts.
The 24-year-old may not be a household name, but he was pivotal to the Bills’ success last year, particularly in the second half of the campaign.
Cook’s best performance came in Week 15, when he carried the ball 25 times for 179 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo’s win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The University of Georgia product was selected by the Bills in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Cook had a fairly quiet—but efficient—rookie season, totaling 507 yards and a pair of scores as a rusher, logging 5.7 yards per attempt. He added 21 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills will likely be relying on James Cook a lot in 2024
The Bills lost their top two receivers this offseason, as they traded Stefon Diggs and saw Gabe Davis walk via free agency. They signed a couple of veterans in Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling and also drafted Keon Coleman, but they don’t exactly have an elite receiving corps.
That means Josh Allen and Buffalo’s offense will likely have to lean on Cook a whole lot this coming season, probably even more so than the Bills did in the back half of 2023.
Remember: Buffalo’s offense changed considerably midway through last year after firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and replacing him with Joe Brady.
Brady focused a lot more on the run, which resulted in the Bills going 6-1 down the stretch en route to a fourth straight AFC East division title.
You have to figure that Buffalo will once again be employing a similar strategy in 2024, and Cook will unquestionably be a big part of that.
We’ll see if James Cook makes whoever created the ratings at EA Sports look silly come September.
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The post Bills RB James Cook Brutally Snubbed In Madden NFL 25 Ratings appeared first on NFL Analysis Network .
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