Damien Harris, a former running back for the New England Patriots, has signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. Harris was a third-round pick by the Patriots in the 2019 draft out of Alabama. He didn’t play much as a rookie, with Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead and James White taking most of the snaps at running back. In 2020, Harris ran for 691 yards and two touchdowns on 137 carries. Last year, he played in 11 games with New England, totaling 462 rushing yards with three touchdowns.
The Bills had a clear need at running back after Devin Singletary reached an agreement on a deal with the Houston Texans.
Singletary led the Bills with 819 rushing yards last year while also catching 38 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown.
With last year’s drop in production, Harris appeared to be a potential re-signing for short money on a one-year prove-it type of deal with the Patriots.
However, he has now signed with their AFC East rival team.Harris will replace Singletary in the Bills’ backfield.[5]
The move is part of Buffalo’s strategy to snag talent from within the AFC East.