Latest news with #JamesCook
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Pacheco 'looks tremendous' in Chiefs OTAs
Sean McDermott on James Cook: He'll 'be here when he's ready to be here' Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott remarks on the current status of Bills running back James Cook by saying that Cook will "be here when he's ready to be here".
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Are Bills Right To Play Hardball With James Cook?
Are Bills Right To Play Hardball With James Cook? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After leading the league in rushing touchdowns last season, no one is arguing that Buffalo Bills running back James Cook is in the right to find a long-term extension with the team that drafted him. Advertisement Buffalo's offense has reached new heights behind Cook's play. He has recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and remains a key part of their offense. That doesn't mean Buffalo is in the wrong to not give Cook the kind of deal he is looking for. Even if NFL Media senior writer Kevin Patra believes Cook is the Bills' biggest remaining offseason priority. "The situation looming over the entire offseason is Cook's desire for a new contract and the team's reluctance, at least so far, to hand out a big money deal to a player who was on the field for less than half the offensive snaps last season," Paltra said. Advertisement It's important to remember that Cook has been on the record looking for a new contract that pays him over $15 million per year. That would put him among the top-five highest paid running backs in the league. Is he worth top-five money? For a team that is already tight on cap space. The answer is a resounding no. Despite Cook's impact, Buffalo only goes as far as their league MVP quarterback will take them. Josh Allen has all the talent on the field necessary to keep the Bills in title contention. And that means Cook isn't going to be worth the kind of money he wants. In the end, playing hardball is the only decision the Bills have left. Advertisement Related: Diggs 'Getting Cut Is On The Table' for Patriots Amid 'Pink Crystals' Controversy? Related: Bills Veteran Has Rough First Day of OTAs This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
5 days ago
- Business
- New York Times
Bills OTAs observations: Joey Bosa already sidelined, Cole Bishop starts fresh
The last time we saw the full Bills roster on a field was when they were exiting the stadium in Kansas City following a heartbreaking three-point loss in the AFC Championship Game. This week, the Bills officially turned the page and began their 2025 preparations. The team began organized team activities Tuesday with a non-contact practice without pads. The Bills had near-perfect attendance from their 90-man roster for the voluntary session, with only top running back James Cook missing, though the Bills said they have remained in touch with him. Advertisement With almost the entire team on hand, it provided the first glimpse of what the 2025 season will look like. Here's what stood out from the first spring practice. When the Bills signed defensive end Joey Bosa to a free-agent contract, they did so knowing the risk involved. Bosa has had a prolific career, but injuries over the last three years led to a sizable discount — given his talent level and career-long productivity — for the Bills to sign him. Bosa has missed 23 regular-season games since 2022, which equals only a 55 percent availability over those three years. When the Bills signed him, they talked about the importance of having a plan in place to keep him available for the entire season, including the all-important playoffs. While the first week of OTAs isn't anywhere close to when they need him healthy, having him unavailable for their first official on-field practice is slightly concerning. Bosa pulled a calf muscle while working out with the Bills last Thursday, and when addressing the situation, Bills coach Sean McDermott said Bosa will 'be out for, more than likely, the foreseeable springtime at least.' The expectation is that he will be out until training camp and probably will be good to go by then. However, McDermott did leave some wiggle room in case Bosa is not ready by late July, saying, 'but understand, it just happened late last week, so we're still in kind of the exploratory phase of what that's gonna mean.' According to the Bills, Bosa was off to a good start in their program before having the setback, which will likely cost him the next two weeks of on-field practices and the three-day mandatory minicamp that begins June 10. McDermott was frank about the situation when asked about his level of worry. 'Listen, it is concerning,' McDermott said. 'Durability, availability are key ties to our roster. So we basically look ahead in terms of what he's doing now, which is getting himself the treatment that he needs, and he's working hard at it. That's all that he can control right now, and we get him back when we get him back.' Advertisement A.J. Epenesa started almost every week in 2024 at right defensive end, and even though he failed to have a breakout year while in that sizable role for the first time, the Bills trust in what they have in him. Should Bosa's injury linger, it could create a situation where Epenesa hangs on to his 'starter' role while ceding snaps to Bosa on obvious passing downs when the veteran is healthy. That's how Buffalo used Epenesa for most of 2024 as well. Time on task and practice reps are extremely important to McDermott and the Bills, so if a player — even an accomplished veteran like Bosa — were to miss a good chunk of practice time leading up to the season, it could cause the staff to pivot on some of its plans. It depends on how Bosa responds to the injury. From the player's health perspective, the Bills are smart to proceed cautiously. If they can get him back for the beginning of training camp, the nine spring practices missed will be quickly forgotten. Getting him back to full strength when practices and season preparations advance in late July and August is most important, especially when the pads come on, so they can start seeing what they really have on the roster. But their awareness of Bosa's injury history could guide a cautious approach for when the team arrives at St. John Fisher University for camp. To the Bills, all that matters is having Bosa ready for the season — but he also needs some practice time so the team will know exactly what its defensive line rotation will look like this season. It's a difficult balancing act, but one the Bills will be forced to operate with given the risk they took in signing him in March — it just hit them a bit earlier than they probably expected. Last year, the Bills used the highest pick on a safety since McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane arrived in 2017. The team chose Cole Bishop with a second-round pick, besting its previous draft investment by a full four rounds. The Bills had taken only two safeties previously, Jaquan Johnson in 2019 and Damar Hamlin in 2021, both of whom were sixth-rounders. So when Bishop's rookie year didn't go as planned because of a multi-week injury that cost him almost all of training camp, it opened the door for Hamlin to begin the year as the starter, and to Hamlin's credit, he hung on to the job the rest of the way. Advertisement However, even while Bishop was mostly out of the lineup, his steady improvement was notable to the coaching staff. It was that faith in how Bishop developed, plus how he played late in the season when given an opportunity, that made the team believe it had someone who could be its long-term starter at safety. The Bills did nothing more than draft a potential safety in the fifth round in Jordan Hancock and sign a pair of low-cost deals with Hamlin and Darrick Forrest. That faith in Bishop has shown some immediate dividends. Just a day into OTAs, it was clear how much more comfortable he looked and sounded in his second year in the scheme. He was extremely quick to read his keys and had the confidence to make instinctive moves to try to play a hunch, either against the run or pass. Ahead of the snap, Bishop was a constant communicator with Taylor Rapp, Taron Johnson, Christian Benford and others. You could hear Bishop's loud, booming voice as clear as day ahead of the snap to try to get everyone on the same page. The confidence in both of those equally important phases is a solid step forward from where things began around this time last year. The Bills have always maintained that safety is one of the more difficult positions for young players to walk into as a rookie, but in his second year, Bishop appears to have stepped up his game in the early stages. The Bills may not have made a significant move at wide receiver this offseason, but they did add a pair of players who offer some skill sets the team lacked last season. Joshua Palmer, who signed a three-year deal, and Elijah Moore, who signed for one year after the draft, provide a potential upgrade to what the Bills had in Amari Cooper and Mack Hollins. Palmer's addition has been seamless so far. He is perfectly suited to the Z-receiver role that did not have a clearly defined leader at any point in 2024. Last year, Cooper and Hollins spent the most time there, but neither is a great separator. Palmer, on the other hand, has a smooth, gliding style in his routes that's a lot quieter than some of the choppy step route runners you'll see. Although Palmer didn't do anything spectacular during the OTA session, his routes were just a bit more natural than anything the Bills had at that spot last season. It would not be surprising if he plays quite a lot in 2025. Of the receivers, Moore was the biggest standout for his on-field performance. The quickness of his feet, specifically leading into and during his route breakdown, helps him generate separation. Once he gets out of that break and turns on the speed, you can see the ease with which he accelerates. He's now several years removed from his 4.35-second 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine, but you can feel how quick he is as he made a few big plays during team drills. Advertisement It's always wise to take spring wideouts, especially at wide receiver, with a grain of salt because players aren't wearing pads and defensive backs aren't allowed to be overly physical with their assignments. Regardless, Moore's speed and ability with the ball in his hands were pretty clear in that setting. His likely best fit for the Bills is either at Z receiver or in the slot. The Bills wasted no time jump-starting their punting competition on the first day of spring practices. The battle between Jake Camarda and Brad Robbins featured each punter receiving six opportunities, and without question, Robbins was the better of the two on Tuesday. He routinely nailed his attempts, specializing in hang time without sacrificing distance. He punted beyond 50 yards on the majority of his attempts, and four of his punts had an unofficial hang time of more than 4.83 seconds. His first attempt hung in the air for 5.24 seconds. On the flip side, Camarda, who is considered the favorite, really struggled to find his form early on. His first punt went 45 yards, but it was a low liner with a 3.54-second hang time. The next one was a bit better at 3.91 seconds with a similar distance, but still nowhere near Robbins'. Camarda then boomed a 69-yard line drive, hitting the 1-yard line but careening into the end zone for a touchback. Camarda's next set of punts was better, highlighted by a 60-yarder that hung in the air for 4.91 seconds. There was just a lot less consistency for Camarda, who averaged four seconds of hang time to Robbins' 4.73 seconds. There's still a long way to go, but it was an impressive start for Robbins. (Photo of Joey Bosa: Harry How / Getty Images)
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What Sean McDermott said about James Cook missing Bills OTAs
The James Cook topic continues for the Buffalo Bills as the team begins their 2025 OTAs. The spring practices in Buffalo are unfolding in Orchard Park this week and the Pro Bowl running back is not in attendance. Advertisement Cook, 25, have made it no secret that he wants a new contract extension and wants to be paid as one of the NFL's best running backs. As of now, that new deal has now arrived for Cook. While Cook is skipping OTAs to send a message about wanting a new contract, that does not mean he's doing anything wrong. This set of spring practices are not mandatory, they are voluntary, and no players is required to attend. While his top rusher sits out, head coach Sean McDermott did downplay the situation. Bills Wire will continue to provide updates throughout the 2025 offseason. This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: What Sean McDermott said about James Cook missing Bills OTAs
New York Post
5 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
James Cook is lone Bills player skipping OTAs in latest contract twist
Money talks, and so does not showing up for work — even if you aren't required to be there. James Cook is the only Bills player not at the team's voluntary offseason team activities (OTAs) beginning Tuesday amid contract drama, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters. Cook previously said he's looking for $15 million per season. Advertisement 3 James Cook has one year left on his rookie deal. Getty Images While these OTA are voluntary, Cook is seemingly sending a message — and trying to avoid injury — by staying away while he hopes to be rewarded like fellow backs such Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey. Cook, 25, is entering the last year of the four-year contract he signed after being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Advertisement He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Cook pinned a '15 million' comment during his Instagram Live session in February, which would tie him for the third-highest average annual value in the sport. 3 Cook's comment on his salary ambitions. @jpafootball/Instagram Barkley is averaging $20.6 million per season, McCaffrey sits at $19 million and Derrick Henry's new deal has him at $15 million, according to Advertisement Bills general manager Brandon Beane said in March the sides did not come close to a deal and Cook then skipped the team's previous OTAs in April. Beane previously noted that the lack of a deal now doesn't mean one can't come before free agency. 3 James Cook rushing against the Jets in 2023. Robert Sabo for NY Post 'The same with James really since owners meetings,' Beane said in April, according to Sports Illustrated. Advertisement 'Love James. Look forward to James putting on our helmet again this year and doing well for us.' Cook has been one of the most productive and durable backs in the NFL since his debut, rushing for 2,638 yards, adding 883 receiving yards and tallying 27 touchdowns (20 rushing). He scored 16 rushing touchdowns this past season while rushing for 1,009 yards, tying for the most rushing scores by a back. The working argument against him being paid that figure is that teams are wary of signing backs to longer deals since most have not worked out. McCaffrey missed most of the 2024 season due to injury and did not perform like he usually did. However, Barkley shined for the Eagles en route to their Super Bowl title and Henry showed he had plenty left in the tank in his first year in Baltimore. Advertisement The Bills are projected yet again to be one of the NFL's best teams and open the season at home against the Ravens on 'Sunday Night Football' on Sept. 7 in divisional-round playoff rematch. Buffalo downed the Ravens before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.
