Why rookie RB James Cook is a perfect fit in the Buffalo Bills’ pass-first offense

The Buffalo Bills were looking to grab a running back early in 2022 NFL Draft. So, with the 63^rd pick in the second round, they selected James Cook from the University of Georgia.

Last year was Cook’s most productive season — he had 728 rushing yards, seven touchdowns and 284 receiving yards with four touchdowns. In the NCAA national championship game, he led Georgia in rushing with 77 yards on six carries and set the record for the longest run in a championship game (67 yards). Cook’s ability to catch in the open field and make guys miss at the line of scrimmage was a perfect fit for the pass-first Bills.

Bills GM Brandon Beane, when asked about his new running back: “This was a guy that really stood out to us with the ball in his hands. You can split him out, he can run routes similar to a receiver, obviously he’s a good guy to hand the ball to in the backfield.”

Let’s dive deeper into the film to help figure out why Cook is a perfect scheme fit for the Bills!

Trust in your backfield

Not only was the Bills backfield underwhelming in the playoffs, but they also didn’t provide any help throughout the season. In each loss the team had, the backfield only reached 70 rushing yards in two of them. The Bills totaled 2209 yards on the ground this season and Josh Allen had 763 of them.

In their 9-6 loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo’s backfield was only able to get 22 yards on the ground. In the clip below, there were five minutes to go in the fourth quarter and the Bills were down by three. Instead of handing it off to the running back, Allen decides to keep it and the play ends in a turnover.

If the offense isn’t able to have success in the run game, that affects the play-action and any offense pass-play sets made to deceive the defense. Last year in the AFC Divisional game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bills backfield only totaled 41 yards on the ground. In the third quarter, it was second-and-three, and the Bills were only down by a field goal. The Bills called two runs that only totaled two yards and they ended up going three and out.

Analyst for NFL Matchup on ESPN, Greg Cosell, explained how the Bills struggled running the ball all season, so they decided to leave it up to Allen.

Since the Bills are a pass-first team, instead of forcing more run plays into their system, they drafted a guy who just compliments their style. Someone who has quick burst between the tackles in short yardage plays and someone who can be relied on when lining up outside.

Short yardage

There are three main strengths to Cook’s rushing attack that the Bills need. Acceleration burst from the backfield when running between the tackles, ability make guys miss at the line of scrimmage and someone who has the ability to get around the edge.

In the clip below, Georgia has the ball on third down with four yards to go. Cook is handed the ball on a back sweep counter. He first looks to burst up the A gap, but as it collapses, he uses his speed getting to the right tackle converting a new set of downs.

In the second clip, Cook gets tied up with two defenders but remains upright and makes his way into the endzone.

This is certainty an attribute that the Bills were missing in their running back. As we can see in the clip below, the Bills only needed a few yards to get into the endzone, but the running back is brought down by an arm tackle resulting in a two-yard loss.

This offseason, the Bills weren’t looking for a running back to take more snaps out of the backfield. They needed a more productive three-down back that will help move the ball when the offense becomes predictable.

Over the last two seasons at Georgia, there were only four games were Cook saw double digit carries. It will be similar with the Bills. Cook should see a slight increase in attempts, but the Bills are a pass-first offense, he’s a guy that will contribute when they need short rushing gains and will be their main back when running routes from the backfield.

Recieving

Considering how many opposing defenses honor Allen’s arm in the passing game, the Bills offense will see some two-high safeties from nickel looks, or even quarter coverages. This is perfect for Cook’s skillset in the passing game.

In the clip below, the defense has six defensive backs to stop the pass, which inevitably opens the middle of the field. Cook shows off his quick stop and go change of direction in order to get separation.

Not only can Cook catch out of the backfield, but one of the ways we should expect the Bills to use Cook is motioning him to the outside. His vertical speed is a mismatch against linebackers who are one-on-one against him at the boundary.

In the clip above, Cook shows an incredible over the shoulder catch for a touchdown. This is one of the hardest catches to make for receivers and Cook does it with ease as a running back.

Cook has natural hands, and we should expect the Bills to show these off in their high-flying passing offense. According to sharp football stats, the Bills ran 11 personnel (3WR) on 71% of their plays which was third-highest in the NFL. Last year, in one game alone, the Bills went empty on 23 snaps.

So, it’s no secret that the Bills like to pass the ball, and now they have their running back of the future who compliments their game plan perfectly.

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