James Cook returns to practice, ending his hold-in

The Buffalo Bills got their RB1 back at practice today, as James Cook has, at least for now, ended his hold-in and returned to the practice field. Cook is looking for a contract extension as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract and looks to capitalize on a big 2024 season.

Cook did show up to training camp and even participated the first few days, but that changed quickly as he decided to forego practicing while his representation worked on getting a new contract. He then decided not to play in their first preseason game despite McDermott wanting him out there. Thankfully for the Bills and Cook’s fantasy backers, that hold-in has apparently ended today, as Cook has shown up to practice:

Before practice, head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that Cook would practice because “things have changed,” per Cameron Wolfe. What exactly those things are isn’t known at this point. Maybe negotiations are moving in a positive direction or maybe Cook realized he had no leverage and he’s decided to cave. At this point it is hard to know.

We do know that Cook went from scoring two rushing touchdowns in each of his first two seasons to a whopping 16 in 2024, adding two more through the air to hit 18 on the year. But, he actually saw a decrease in carries, receptions and yards last year. Touchdowns are somewhat random statistically, which is likely a sticking point when assessing his value to the team longterm. Buffalo is in win-now mode, but they do have a strong backup in Ray Davis. The team could get by without Cook, but would rather have that one-two punch to go along with better depth.

His return isn’t the end of this mini-saga, but it is a good sign for Cook’s fantasy football value, as we need him sitting atop that depth chart to start Week 1. He’ll be hard-pressed to put up touchdown numbers like he did last season, but that doesn’t mean he’ll revert to his paltry pre-2024 numbers either. He proved himself around the goalie and will continue to get work there as long as he remains successful.