Bills running back James Cook has made no secret about his desire for a new contract and his approach to the team’s offseason program may be part of his push to land one.
General Manager Brandon Beane told reporters in Buffalo that Cook did not join the team for the first day of their workouts. The workouts are voluntary, so Cook is under no obligation to attend and Beane said he does not know if the running back plans to report at any point.
Beane also said that Cook has not communicated to the team that his absence is due to his contract.
Cook suggested in March that he’s looking for $15 million a year in his next contract, but Beane said later in the month that he doesn’t see an extension coming in the near future. Cook subsequently put his Buffalo house on the market and the ongoing impasse makes it hard to view Cook’s decision without the contractual lens.
The Bills have won the AFC East the past five seasons. The last time the Bills didn’t win it, the Patriots did.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams now plays for the Patriots, having signed in free agency.
He can’t wait to face Josh Allen, the reigning MVP, after the only missed game of his career game in 2023 in a game against the Bills.
“I ended up missing that game against Josh Allen,” Williams said on the Green Light with Chris Long podcast. “So, I haven’t got to play him yet. Since I got here just talking with [Christian] Barmore, he was like, ‘Yeah, Josh Allen is probably the hardest quarterback I’ve had to bring down.’ Just big, fast, he kind of reminds me of Cam Newton. I compare him to Cam Newton, just being that big, being that mobile, having such a big arm, make any throw. It’s going to be a challenge, but I’m up for it. I’m up for it for sure.”
The Bills and Patriots play twice a year, so Williams will see a lot of Allen, and Allen will see a lot of Williams, who signed a four-year, $104 million deal. The Patriots also have added cornerback Carlton Davis, linebacker Robert Spillane and pass rusher Harold Landry this offseason in seeking to improve a defense that ranked 22nd in the NFL last season.
The NFL announced several changes to the list of prospects set to be in Green Bay for the draft next week.
As reports indicated earlier this week, cornerback Maxwell Hairston has been added to the list of players who are expected to be there. Two other names no longer appear on the revised list, which was shared by Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
Former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and former Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams were on the initial list, but are no longer expected to be in attendance. That leaves 16 players on track to be there.
Dart’s inclusion on the initial list seemed to support the feeling that he will be selected in the first round — Draftkings lists him at -425 to be picked next Thursday night — and it is unclear why he and Williams have had a change of plans. Cam Ward and Jalen Milroe are now the only quarterbacks scheduled to be present.
The Bills have agreed to a one-year deal worth up to $6.8 million with cornerback Tre’Davious White, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
White returns to the team that made him a first-round pick in 2017.
The Bills cut him before the start of the 2024 offseason in a cost-cutting move, and White signed with the Rams. Los Angeles traded White to the Ravens on Nov. 5.
In 11 games last season, White totaled 22 tackles and five pass breakups.
He made two Pro Bowls in his seven seasons with Buffalo, recording 311 tackles, 18 interceptions and 68 pass breakups.
The Bills made two roster moves Thursday ahead of next week’s NFL draft.
The team announced it has released defensive tackle Branson Deen and waived tight end Armani Rogers with a non-football injury.
Deen, 25, spent part of last season with the team and played one game. He played nine defensive snaps and six on special teams in a Week 5 game against the Texans in his only career action.
The Bills signed him to a futures contract after the season.
Rogers, 27, also signed a futures contract with the Bills after spending time with the Commanders, Eagles and Falcons in 2024. He has not played a game since 2022 when he appeared in 11 games with three starts for Washington, seeing action on 158 offensive snaps and 217 on special teams.
Rogers has seven touches for 90 yards in his career.
