Running backs Devin Singletary and Damien Harris entered the NFL 13 picks apart in the third round of the 2019 draft. The Buffalo Bills chose Florida Atlantic’s Singletary with the 74th selection. The New England Patriots picked Alabama’s Harris at No. 87.

This offseason, the running backs reached free agency. Singletary left the Bills for the Houston Texans’ one-year, $2.75 million contract offer. Harris filled the opening in the Buffalo backfield for a one-year, $1.77 million contract.

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Singletary departs after leading the Bills in rushing for four consecutive seasons, the first ball-carrier to do that since Pro Football Hall of Famer Thurman Thomas topped the team from 1988 through 1996.

Singletary ran for 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns on 672 carries and caught 145 passes for 971 yards and four touchdowns with Buffalo.

Harris ran for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns on 449 carries and caught 40 passes for 281 yards in his four seasons with New England.

Harris played in only two games as a rookie, when the Patriots used Sony Michel, James White and Rex Burkhead at running back. Harris also missed six games apiece in the 2020 and 2022 seasons.

During their careers, both Singletary and Harris have averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Harris has averaged 55.1 rushing yards per game, with Singletary at 51.7 yards.

“I think that was a good pickup for us,” Buffalo coach Sean McDermott said of the Bills’ signing of Harris. “Obviously, sad to see Devin move on. But what a great young man he is, and super happy for him and his family.

“And so, we’ll see how it goes. And feel good about Nyheim (Hines) and James (Cook) all the while, and we’ll see where that goes as well.”

A second-round draft choice, Cook ran for 507 yards and two touchdowns on 89 carries and caught 21 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown as a rookie. Hines’ primary role is as a kickoff and punt returner.

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Replacing Singletary with Harris gives the Bills a little more bulk in the backfield without sacrificing speed. Singletary has roster measurements of 5-foot-7 and 203 pounds. Harris is 5-11 and 213 pounds. At the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine, Singletary ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds while Harris clocked a 4.57.

“I think the biggest thing is the speed element,” McDermott said while attending the NFL’s annual meeting this week in Phoenix. “We felt like we needed a slightly bigger back, but not a 250-pound, cloud-of-dust type of guy, so to find a player with some size, with some power, but also has the speed elements to go along with it, I think that’s hard to defend because not only can you run up inside, but you can get to the edge from time to time and an 8-yard run can go to 18 or 80. So I think that element is dangerous and puts a little bit of fear into some defensive coordinators.”

The Bills are scheduled to start their offseason program on April 17.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.