Another Bills legend is now in James Cook’s rearview mirror

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 17: Running back James Cook III (4) of the Buffalo Bills carries the ball during an NFL football game between the Detroit Lions and the Buffalo Billsat Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, USA, on Thursday, September 17, 2026 (Photo by Amy Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images) | NurPhoto via Getty Images

James Cook just keeps climbing.The Buffalo Bills running backenteredThursday night's game against the DetroitLionsneeding 130 rushing yards to pass Joe Cribbs and move into fifth place on the franchise's all-time rushing list.

He got there in thefourthquarter.Cook's22-yard run that set up hisone-yardtouchdownrusha play laterpushed him past Cribbs' 4,445 career rushing yards in a Bills uniform and gave Cook another spot in Buffalo's record book.

And this one comes with some history behind it.Cribbsarrived in Buffalo as a second-round draft pick in 1980 andimmediatelybecame one of the NFL's most productive running backs. He topped1,000 yardsin each of his first two seasons, then did it again in 1983. After spending the 1984 season in the USFL, Cribbs returned to Buffalo for one final season in 1985.

By thetimehis Bills career was over, Cribbs had rushed 1,082 times for4,445 yardsand 21 touchdowns across 64 games.

Cook has taken a very different route to essentially the same place.Buffalo selected Cook in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but hewasn'timmediatelyhandedthe workload Cribbs received four decades earlier. Cook had just 89 carries as arookiebefore becoming the Bills' primary running back in his second season.

Now, in his fifth season with Buffalo, Cook also passed a player who spent five seasons in a Bills uniform - but he did it onconsiderably fewercarries.Cook enteredthe gamewith 4,316 rushing yards on 855attempts,227 fewer carries than Cribbs needed to reach 4,445.

With Cribbs now behind him, only four namesremainahead of Cook on the Bills' all-time rushing list. Josh Allen entered the night fourth with4,744 yards, followed by Fred Jackson with 5,646. Both are catchable this season. After that, the climb gets a wholelotsteeper: O.J. Simpson sits at10,183 yards, with Thurman Thomas atop the franchise record book at 11,938.

For now, James Cook can add another line to an already growing resume.He'sone of the five most prolific rushers in Buffalo Bills history.