With James Cook’s contract demands to the Buffalo Bills, he’s at the center of attention in western New York football headlines this offseason.

That deal has yet to come, but ESPN has shed a different kind of light on him.

ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler polled executives, coaches, and others around the NFL anonymously to rank players in each position in his annual offseason polling.

In terms of running backs, Cook cracked the top-10.

Overall, Cook landed at the No. 8 spot.

On ESPN’s list, Cook is the lone AFC East running back to feature. On top of that, he’s the second-best rusher in the whole AFC behind only the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry at second overall.

The top spot was taken by the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley.

Cook’s eighth position comes after he was named an honorable mention on the same ranking last offseason. His best placement among one voter in this year’s poll was No. 4 overall.

ESPN’s breakdown on Cook can be found below:

Cook entered the top 10 after a 16-touchdown season in 2024, vaulting from honorable mention to No. 8 and pushing Taylor for the seventh spot. He’s now tied with O.J. Simpson (1975) for the most rushing touchdowns in a single season in Bills history.

Cook’s 3.1 yards per rush before contact was the fifth-highest mark of any qualifying back.

“Dangerous and explosive,” an NFL personnel executive said.

Added an AFC exec: “He’s perfect for that offense, with a quarterback that spreads things out. He’s good in the passing game, catches the ball really well, good in open space. Not sure he’s elite yet, but he’s really, really good.”

He’s averaging 222 carries per season as the starter, and some teams are curious about how he would hold up as a 300-carry No. 1 back at 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. But either way, he has earned leaguewide respect at a time when he’s seeking a contract extension from Buffalo.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: ESPN running back rankings including Bills’ James Cook