James Cook Madden Career 2023-2026 - Peak 89 OVR
The Bill who out-rushed a league and chased O.J.'s record
James Cook spent his first two Buffalo seasons stuck at a 75 overall in Madden, and then he forced a rewrite. In 2025 he led the entire NFL with 1,621 rushing yards, the first Bills player to pace the league on the ground since the O.J. Simpson years of the 1970s. A season earlier he had tied Simpson's franchise record with 16 rushing touchdowns.
Buffalo drafted Cook 63rd overall in the second round of the 2022 draft out of Georgia, where he won a national championship. His older brother Dalvin was already an established NFL back, and James arrived first as a receiving threat before the workload and the trust grew. He ran for 1,122 yards in 2023, then 1,009 with the touchdown record in 2024, and earned Pro Bowl selections in three straight seasons. In the January 2025 AFC Championship loss to Kansas City he piled up 134 scrimmage yards and two scores in a 32-29 defeat.
The Madden numbers follow the climb almost exactly. He sat at 75 in both the 2022 and 2023 editions, rose to 81 for 2024, and finally hit an 89 in the 2025 game after the rushing title and a second-team All-Pro nod.
James Cook Madden Career Milestones
- Peak rating: 89 OVR in Madden NFL 2026 (age 25)
- Appeared in 4 Madden releases (Madden NFL 2023 through Madden NFL 2026)
- Entered at 75 OVR in Madden NFL 2023, climbed 14 points to his peak
- Biggest single-year rise: 8 points into Madden NFL 2026
- Played for the Bills across every Madden release in his career
- Listed as a running back in every Madden release
James Cook Madden Career Ratings
| Madden | Team | Pos | OVR | Speed | ACC | AGI | COD | STR | JMP | STA | INJ | TGH | AWR | PRC | THP | TAS | TAM | TAD | PAC | TOR | TUP | BSK | CAR | BTK | TRK | BCV | SFA | SPM | JKM | CTH | SPC | CIT | SRR | MRR | DRR | RLS | RBK | RBP | RBF | PBK | PBP | PBF | IBL | LBK | TAK | POW | PUR | BSH | PMV | FMV | MCV | ZCV | PRS | KPW | KAC | KRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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2023 2022 NFL season
|
|
RB | 75 | 92 | 93 | 93 | 92 | 67 | 81 | 84 | 88 | 84 | 62 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | - | 88 | - | 64 | 79 | 71 | 76 | 85 | 72 | 53 | 51 | 65 | - | 53 | 60 | 42 | - | - | 47 | - | - | 38 | - | 40 | 37 | 47 | - | - | - | 24 | 34 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 74 |
|
2024 2023 NFL season
|
|
RB | 75 | 92 | 93 | 93 | 92 | 67 | 81 | 84 | 88 | 84 | 62 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | - | 87 | - | 64 | 79 | 71 | 76 | 85 | 70 | 54 | 52 | 65 | - | 53 | 62 | 42 | - | - | 49 | - | - | 38 | - | 40 | 37 | 47 | - | - | - | 24 | 34 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 74 |
|
2025 2024 NFL season
|
|
RB | 81 | 92 | 93 | 93 | 92 | 67 | 81 | 84 | 88 | 84 | 77 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | - | - | 88 | 81 | 64 | 83 | 71 | 76 | 86 | 70 | 54 | 52 | 68 | - | 55 | 62 | 42 | - | - | 50 | - | - | 38 | - | 40 | 37 | 47 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 74 |
|
2026 2025 NFL season
|
|
RB | 89 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 92 | 67 | 81 | 85 | 88 | 84 | 90 | 31 | 27 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 20 | 91 | 85 | 64 | 87 | 71 | 78 | 91 | 70 | 54 | 52 | 69 | 65 | 57 | 62 | 42 | 24 | 29 | 50 | 21 | 26 | 38 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 47 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 24 | 34 | 17 | 19 | 14 | 74 |
Era Running Backs who played alongside James Cook
James Cook Madden Ratings by Year
James Cook Madden NFL 2023 rating: 75 OVR (2022 NFL season, BUF). James Cook Madden NFL 2024 rating: 75 OVR (2023 NFL season, BUF). James Cook Madden NFL 2025 rating: 81 OVR (2024 NFL season, BUF). James Cook Madden NFL 2026 rating: 89 OVR (2025 NFL season, BUF).