The Buffalo Bills 2022 season has gone well overall. The team is 3-1 after four weeks and looking like a strong playoff contender. Despite the strong start, though, there have been some disappointments for the squad. Injuries are the biggest issue right now with the team missing multiple starters each game and having lost All-Pro safety Micah Hyde for the season. Additionally, as well as the majority of the Bills 2022 roster has played so far, there are a few players who aren’t playing quite as well as expected. The biggest individual disappointment through four weeks is likely the Bills’ James Cook. The rookie running back was supposed to add an extra dimension to the Buffalo offense. However, the James Cook 2022 season got off to a poor start and hasn’t recovered yet. Here is why Cook is the Bills' biggest disappointment through the first four weeks of the 2022 NFL season.

Bills’ biggest disappointments in 2022

There weren’t many dire needs for the Buffalo Bills on either side of the ball heading into the 2022 NFL Draft. The team was thinnest at cornerback, especially with Tre’Davious White recovering from a knee injury, and the team addresses that in the first round with Florida CB Kaiir Elam (and again in Round 6 with Villanova CB Christian Benford).

After Elam, the Bills' 2022 draft picks could be spent on luxury items.

After cornerback, the biggest area of need in Buffalo was in the running game. The Bills ranked sixth in rushing yards in 2021 with 2,209 yards. However, if you take away quarterback Josh Allen’s 763 yards, that drops to 1,466 yards, putting the Bills 30th in the league.

Running back Devin Singletary had a solid season last year, rushing for 870 yards and adding 228 yards receiving. After that, Zach Moss was just OK, producing 542 all-purpose yards, and Matt Breida added 197 yards total.

Getting a new, more dynamic running back in the draft would be a top priority for the Bills this offseason. General manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott accomplished this task in the second round by picking Georgia RB James Cook.

Splitting time during his senior season in Athens with now-Las Vegas Raider Zamir White, Cook had an excellent year in 2021, rushing for 728 yards and catching 27 balls for 284 yards. He also had 11 total touchdowns.

The 5-foot-11, 199-pound back ran a respectable 4.42 40-yard dash at the combine and showed good athleticism. Also, as the brother of Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook, James had a solid NFL pedigree.

With the Bills, James Cook would be a perfect compliment to Singletary and Moss. Many evaluators believed he could even play alongside them and line up at wideout to give offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey even more creative play-calling options.

However, James Cook’s 2022 season got off to the worst start possible. In the Bills 2022 opener vs. the Los Angeles Rams, the ball carrier fumbled his first career carry for a turnover. He didn’t get another carry or target the rest of the game and played only three offensive snaps.

In the team’s Week 2 blowout vs. the Tennessee Titans, Cook did get more work. He ended the game with 11 carries for 53 yards. Then, in Week 3, Cook went back to one carry for just three yards. However, he did have four catches on five targets for 37 yards

Finally, in Week 4, during a rainy game in Baltimore, Cook went back to his seat on the bench, playing just two offensive snaps and having one (missed) target.

Unfortunately for Cook, when a title contender drafts a player, there isn’t a ton of room for learning on the fly. If Cook went to Detroit or Chicago, he probably could have fumbled and been right back out on the next series to shake it off and rebuild his confidence. On the Bills 2022 roster, that just isn’t the case.

The Bills are in the heat of a title hunt already, and McDermott and company don’t have time to hand-hold a player who may fumble or drop the ball in a big spot. That’s why Cook is, disappointingly, not getting real opportunities this season.

Singletary and Moss aren’t the greatest running back tandem in the NFL, but they are solid and reliable. With Josh Allen under center, that’s what the Bills need more than anything right now.

The good news for James Cook, the Bills, and their fans, is that it is only Week 5 of an 18 Week season with playoff games likely after that. Cook might not be able to work out his NFL issues on the field, but he has three-plus months to work hard and improve on the practice field to earn back McDermott, Dorsey, and Allen’s trust.