Buffalo Bills star running back James Cook could get less touches or playing time if he doesn't start protecting the football better.
"I don't want to lose sight of how great he is running the ball right now," head coach Joe Brady said Tuesday, according to Nick Suss of ESPN. "But putting the ball on the ground, it's negating all the positive. 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 rushed for 111 yards with two touchdowns during the Bills' 37-34 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. However, the 27-year-old fumbled twice, including once in overtime just outside the red zone, which would've cost Buffalo the game if it wasn't for Greg Rousseau blocking a potential game-winning field goal on the Rams' ensuing drive.
"It's going to cost us football games," Brady added. "It almost cost us one. We can't confuse because we won the game that that's okay. It's got to improve or the carries are going to decrease."
Cook, who's third in the NFL with 532 yards on the ground this season, has fumbled 11 times since the start of the 2025 campaign - a total that tops non-quarterback players.
The Bills (4-1) visit the Las Vegas Raiders (3-2) on Sunday in Week 6.
