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It’s time for James Cook to put his newly earned money where his mouth has been for all of training camp with the Buffalo Bills.
The two-time Pro Bowl running back has been very vocal for most of training camp about wanting a new contract and holding in until he gets he wants. He now has a four-year contract worth $48 million. Now, he needs to go out there and perform, starting with Sunday’s preseason game against the Chicago Bears.
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With teams only having three preseason games now (unless they get the Hall of Fame Game), preseason game No. 2 is the one where starters see a considerable amount of reps. Cook obviously didn’t play in the preseason opener, but he needs to showcase some solid runs in however many carries he gets on Sunday.
Preseason games obviously don’t count, but that doesn’t mean Cook can get away with seven carries for 19 yards on Sunday. It won’t sit well with the organization either if he goes out there and doesn’t have much to show for himself.
Cook has something to prove this season as well for the Bills as he just eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last season. Getting on track to put up more yards starts in the preseason.
Will things be rusty at first with Cook? Of course, and nobody is saying otherwise. However, he may not get many reps (if any) in the final preseason game, so Sunday’s contest may be his only game action before the wins and losses count. Cook certainly needs to make the most of it.
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