Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has an issue with fumbles that once again reared its ugly head on Monday night.
During the Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Rams, Cook had a pair of fumbles and lost one of them. And that lost fumble came at a crucial time, as Cook coughed up the rock in the overtime period and nearly cost his team the game.
Thankfully for the Bills, Greg Rousseau blocked Harrison Mevis' field goal on the next drive, which saved Cook and the Bills and allowed Buffalo to drive down the field and win the game.
On Tuesday afternoon, head coach Joe Brady didn't mince words about Cook's fumbling issues and even said that Cook could lose carries if the problems persist.
"I have all the confidence in him, that's why I put him right back out there," he said of Cook. "But, obviously, at some point there has to be consequences to when we're putting negative stuff out there."
"That can't happen and at some point it's going to cost us football games, and it almost cost us one," Brady added. "And so, it's got to improve or the carries are going to decrease."
That's a bold statement from Brady, who is threatening to take carries away from last year's rushing champion.
That said, Cook's fumbling issues have gotten so bad that it's necessary to put him on notice in the hopes it will lead to the veteran running back fixing his major problem.
How bad is James Cook's fumbling problem?
Cook has a whopping four fumbles in five games this season.
Of course, this is not a new issue for Cook, who has struggled to hold on to the football throughout his career. Cook had six fumbles last season, and he had four in 2023.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cook's 10 fumbles since last season are the most in the NFL among running backs. The next closest player is Atlanta Falcons superstar Bijan Robinson, who has seven in that span. So, that goes to show you Cook isn't the only elite running back to have this issue.
Considering the fact that we're just five contests into this season and he is already two shy of his career-high puts an extra bright spotlight on the problem that has plagued Cook for far too long.
The problem with lessening Cook's carries is that it will hurt the offense. Ty Johnson and Ray Davis are solid backs, but they do not have the game-changing ability Cook has.
However if Cook is hurting the team and costing it games, like he nearly did on Monday night, his advantage in ability over the other two doesn't mean as much.
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