Damien Harris changing teams in AFC East
Of Damien Harris’ eight 100-yard rushing games in the NFL, three have come during his four regular-season outings against the Buffalo Bills.
In 2023, instead of carrying the football against the Bills, Harris will be running it for them.
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Buffalo has not announced an agreement with Harris, who became an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday, when his four-year rookie contract with the New England Patriots expired. But multiple media outlets, including masslive.com and the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, reported on Monday night that the former Alabama running back would sign with the Bills.
And Harris tweeted on Monday night: “Let’s go Buffalo. #BillsMafia”
After playing in two games as a rookie in 2019, Harris led the Patriots in rushing yards in 2020 and 2021. He had 691 yards and two touchdowns on 137 carries in 10 games in 2020, then went for 929 yards and 15 touchdowns on 2022 carries in 15 games in 2021.
In 2022, Harris missed six games, including all four in December with a thigh injury. He ran for 462 yards and three touchdowns on 106 carries as Rhamondre Stevenson became New England’s No. 1 ball-carrier. In his second NFL season, Stevenson ran for 1,040 yards and five touchdowns on 210 carries.
Harris’ chances of returning to New England seemed to dim considerably last week when the Patriots signed former 1,000-yard rusher James Robinson to a two-year contract.
Devin Singletary led Buffalo in rushing last season with 819 yards and five touchdowns on 177 carries, but he has left in free agency for the Houston Texans.
On their offseason roster, the Bills have three running backs — James Cook, Nyheim Hines and Duke Johnson.
Cook ran for 507 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries as a second-round rookie in 2022. Johnson had 4 yards on two carries in his only game last season. Primarily a punt and kickoff returner, Hines had 33 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries while dividing 2022 between the Bills and Indianapolis Colts.
Harris was the leading rusher for three Alabama teams with 1,037 rushing yards in 2016, 1,000 in 2017 and 876 in 2018.
For New England, Harris had 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns on 449 rushing attempts and 40 receptions for 281 yards in 38 games.
In four regular-season games against Buffalo, Harris has run for 364 yards and five touchdowns on 57 carries and one reception for 4 yards. Harris had 30 yards on nine rushing attempts and a 7-yard reception in the Patriots’ 47-17 loss to the Bills in a playoff game on Jan. 15, 2022.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.