Bills RB James Cook is looking to improve, a year after he led the NFL in rushing

PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) — James Cook treats carrying the football the same way he answers questions about his past accomplishments.

The Buffalo Bills running back does both by solely looking forward.

So there was no point in asking Cook to reflect on last year, when he used a brief training camp hold-in as leverage to get a new contract, and then proved his worth by leading the NFL with 1,621 yards rushing.

“I don’t like to talk about last year, because last year is in the past. This year is a new year,” Cook said last week. “Put last year behind me, and just come out here to do it again.”

That would be difficult for anyone, given that only two players since 2001 have won consecutive NFL rushing titles — Derrick Henry (2019-20) and LaDainian Tomlinson (2006-07).

Propelling the 26-year-old Cook’s belief entering his fifth season are a healthy dose of self-confidence, an offensive line that remains mostly intact and newly promoted head coach Joe Brady’s offensive scheme.

Despite Josh Allen’s strong arm and improvisational skills, the Bills split rushing and passing attempts evenly during Brady’s two-plus seasons as offensive coordinator. Brady sees no reason to change course or to reduce Cook’s workload this year.

“I expect James Cook to take another step this year in different elements of his game and continue to be the workhorse as a runner,” Brady said.

“And he wants it, right?” he added. “He had such an incredible season last year. And without diving into exactly what, this is what I told him: He has got to get better. We can’t take steps backwards.”

Cook’s power and elusiveness were on display in practice Tuesday, Buffalo's first full day in pads.

On the first team drill, Cook took a handoff and burst through a hole on the left side for what would have been a 5-yard gain, and then sprung back up off the ground and kept running. A few minutes later, on a sweep to the right, Cook turned the corner and lowered his shoulder pad directly into the midsection of safety Cole Bishop.

“It’s a new year, and he going to do the same thing that he did last year, having that intensity,” Bishop said.

Cook led the NFL last season with nine games of 100 yards rushing or more, and his 12 rushing TDs were fourth in the league. He had a career-high 309 carries and averaged a career-best 5.2 yards per attempt, which tied for second in the NFL.

His only blemish has been ball security. He lost four of seven fumbles, including one at the Denver 30 in a 33-30 overtime loss in a divisional-round playoff game.

Brady made a point to remind Cook about protecting the ball after the running back lost a fumble early in camp.

“I fumbled. So I just got to fix it,” Cook said. “The ball is everybody’s job, and that’s my job. I’m willing to protect it.”

Make no mistake, Cook thrives on challenges.

He did so last year by withholding his services before eventually landing a four-year, $48 million contract.

“I wouldn’t say stress. I wasn’t stressing,” Cook said.

His calm approach to the contract dispute, and how he performed after signing the deal, impressed his teammates.

“I learned that he is very explosive, and he's the man, and he takes care of business on the field and off the field,” running back Ray Davis said. “He's going to continue to excel in that way and prove that he earned every dollar.”

Cook has his sights set higher this year, for himself and the Bills.

“I'm looking forward to doing even bigger things. So whatever that is, I'm willing to do it,” he said.

Buffalo has underperformed in the playoffs. The Bills are the NFL's first team to win a playoff game in six straight postseason appearances without reaching a Super Bowl.

“It’s on us. The ball is in our hands,” Cook said. “We control our own destiny. So whatever we do is on us. Eventually, it’s going to happen.”

Veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson began working out individually on the sideline on Tuesday, three days after straining his right calf. Gardner-Johnson wore a sleeve on the leg while riding a stationary bike.

Brady on Monday did not provide a timetable for Gardner-Johnson's return.

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Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III, center, runs a drill during practice at the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Pittsford, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs with the ball during practice at the team's NFL football training camp Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Pittsford, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

The House Ethics Committee said Tuesday it had opened an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Republican Rep. Max Miller as the embattled Ohio congressman faced pressure from President Donald Trump and escalating criticism from his former father-in-law, Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Miller, a senior adviser to Trump during his first presidency, faced a Wednesday deadline to decide whether to stay in his race for reelection, with Republicans nervous that the allegations surrounding the second-term congressman could cost them a seat as they try to hang on to their House majority in this year's midterms.

Leaders of the ethics committee said in their statement that the committee was reviewing whether Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.” Earlier in the day, Miller said he had requested his own investigation into the allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. It was not clear whether his request or another one prompted the committee to investigate.

Trump spoke with Miller on Monday and advised that his candidacy “doesn’t look good,” according to a source familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation. Trump’s conversation with Miller was first reported by Axios.

Miller said during a CNN interview Tuesday that he wasn't exiting the race, despite what he described as Trump's words of caution.

"'Maxie, it’s going to be a tough race. And he said, I don’t know if you’re going to be able to, you know, pull this one out,'” he quoted Trump as saying during their conversation.

Miller added: “I will never, ever, ever let my baby girl see her dad walk away as a quitter. I will continue to finish this.”

The former Trump aide, whom the president endorsed in May, is facing a flurry of legal filings by his ex-wife, who is the Republican senator's daughter, and an ex-girlfriend.

Sen. Moreno, who until Sunday had remained quiet about the allegations at his daughter's request, on Tuesday described the impact on his daughter, granddaughter and wider family as “truly the seventh level of hell."

“This has been brutal beyond comprehension," he told reporters at the Capitol. "And if there's any minimum standard for being a public official, as I said, he fails to meet that minimum, basic standard.”

Asked about the election implications of the allegations for Republicans, Moreno told reporters, “I don't care about the politics at all.”

Moreno expressed concern for his granddaughter and told reporters that he traveled Sunday to a suburban Cleveland police station, where Miller was dropping off their daughter. Miller and his ex-wife share custody of the 2-year-old.

Miller had previewed his intention to stay in the race over the weekend when he livestreamed a video defending himself on X and posted a cache of documents related to his divorce and custody cases.

Sen. Moreno said the video prompted him to break his silence and call for Miller to no longer hold public office.

Trump declined to say publicly Monday whether Miller should exit the race, noting that the accusations against him were “allegations.”

“I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out,” Trump told reporters when asked about Miller during an Oval Office event.

Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, arrives as Dr. Anthony Fauci appears before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program registration with Emily Moreno in Washington, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)

FILE - Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, walks out of a meeting with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of La., on Capitol Hill, Oct. 11, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

FILE - Rep.-elect Max Miller, R-Ohio, arrives for new member orientation check-in and program registration in Washington, Nov. 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades, File)