The Chicago Bears hired Ben Johnson as their new head coach this offseason. If he wants to recreate the offense he had with the Detroit Lions, he may need another elite running back.
With the Lions, he had Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery at his disposal. The Bears have D’Andre Swift, and he had over 1,300 scrimmage yards last season, but he was not extremely explosive on the ground. He averaged a career-worst 3.8 yards per carry. Pro Football Network’s Sterling Xie tabbed James Cook as a potential trade target for the Bears.
“The (Dallas) Cowboys and Bears could use an upgrade at RB1 as well,” Xie wrote of teams that could use Cook.
Cook is going into the final year of his deal with the Bills. However, the Bills might not be interested in extending his contract, especially considering the running back market.
“Brandon Beane has traditionally leaned on the draft to restock at running back,” wrote Xie. “Beane drafted Devin Singletary to replace LeSean McCoy, and then drafted James Cook to replace Singletary. Now, with Cook entering the last year of his rookie contract, the Bills could be poised to repeat that cycle again. In fact, it’s possible they’ve already done so after drafting Ray Davis in the fourth round last year.”
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Davis looked good in Cook’s absence, giving the Bills more confidence in potentially moving on from Cook. Cook is projected to earn a four-year, $40 million deal in free agency. He has been named a Pro Bowler in the last two seasons. Last season, he had 1,009 rushing yards and a league-leading 16 rushing touchdowns.
Cook is also a valuable pass catcher, similar to what Johnson had in Gibbs. Cook had 703 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the last two seasons.
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