Based on the fact that Josh Allen has already warned the Las Vegas Raiders after the Buffalo Bills‘ big win on Monday Night Football, one could argue that the vibes are immaculate in Western New York. However, barely dodging a bullet against the Los Angeles Rams came at a cost, and running back James Cook may be in the eye of the storm.
Cook fumbled twice during the 37-34 win over Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium. Even though the Rams recovered only one of the two fumbles—a costly one in overtime when the Bills were in field-goal range—head coach Joe Brady made it clear that the issue won’t go unnoticed.
If Cook doesn’t improve his ball security during the 2026 NFL season, there will be consequences. Even the team’s leading running back, who ranks third in the league in rushing yards, may not enjoy total job security. Brady didn’t sugarcoat his plans.
“It’s going to cost us football games. It almost cost us one. We can’t confuse because we won the game that that’s OK. It’s got to improve or the carries are going to decrease,” Joe Brady told reporters in Los Angeles a day after the game, according to ESPN.
James Cook fumbles the ball against the Rams.
Joe Brady acknowledges thing Cook is doing right
Obviously, one doesn’t become the third-leading rusher in the NFL through the first five weeks of the season and one of the league’s top running backs without earning his fair share of credit, and Cook is no exception. He’s made plays consistently and is almost unstoppable when at his best. That isn’t lost on Brady, no matter how upset Cook’s recent fumbling issues make him. Still, he urged the running back out of Georgia to get back on track.
“Look, he’s doing so many good things running the football. I don’t want to lose sight of how great he is running the ball right now. But putting the ball on the ground, it’s negating all the positive,” Brady concluded. “I have all the confidence in him. That’s why I put him right back out there. But obviously, at some point there has to be consequences to when we’re putting negative stuff out there.“
Cook’s stats
Through five games in the 2026 NFL season, Cook has rushed 95 times for 532 yards (third-most in the NFL), averaging 5.6 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns. However, Cook has also fumbled four times in five weeks, including a multi-fumble outing in primetime against the Rams.
No player has fumbled more than Cook this season, and he’s the only RB among the top five in rushing yards to have more than one fumble. In fact, no other tailback in the top five has even lost a fumble.
Taken together, these numbers paint a clear picture of where Cook stands among the NFL’s elite running backs: he belongs in the room, but he’s still a few pegs below the top tier. If ball security remains a weakness, it could keep Cook from reaching his full potential and force Brady to share the workload with the rest of the RB room or even make a drastic change within it.
Bills’ RB depth chart
In addition to James Cook, the Bills’ running-back depth chart includes Ty Johnson and Ray Davis. Clearly, if Buffalo ever decides to move on from its former second-round pick in 2022, it would have to bring in a true HB1 to fill his shoes, as both current options are more sporadic contributors than reliable solutions in the backfield.
Key takeaways
- James Cook fumbled twice in the Buffalo Bills’ 37-34 overtime victory over the Rams.
- Bills head coach Joe Brady warned that James Cook’s touches could decrease due to fumbles.
- James Cook leads the NFL with four fumbles through five games in 2026.
