Bills RB Damien Harris Reveals Why He Signed with Buffalo

Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris switched sides in free agency after spending the first four years of his career with the New England Patriots.

With just a few weeks left until the start of training camp, the Buffalo Bills don't have a clear-cut No. 1 running back. They did add to their running back room after Devin Singletary signed with the Houston Texans, bringing in Damien Harris and Latavius Murray in addition to James Cook. Yet, the pecking order at that position is unclear. 

Murray is the veteran in the room, heading into his 10th NFL season, with Harris being second in seniority at year four. The addition of the latter may be an overlooked one by Bills fans who weren't intrigued by the numbers he put up a season ago. Harris, the former New England Patriot, switched sides in the AFC East this offseason after being relegated to the No. 2 spot at running back in Foxboro behind Rhamondre Stevenson.

But putting aside his decreased role in New England, what made Harris sign with the Bills, a team that hasn't run the ball effectively in recent years?

"I always said that playing against the Bills, I felt like brought out the best in me as a competitor and as a player," Harris said. "And from the outside looking in as an opponent, if I felt that way, then I knew that if I was able to join this organization, I feel like I could just take it to a new height."

Harris' claim about the Bills bringing out his best is backed up statistically. In 2021, Harris' last season as the top back in Foxboro, he rushed for over 100 yards in two of the three meetings with the Bills, the most impressive of which came in a 14-10 win in December 2021, where he averaged 11.10 yards per attempt and rushed for 111 yards on 10 attempts.

Yet, what is really interesting is that Harris' comments make it seem that his interest in the Bills predates free agency. This wouldn't be all that surprising as his role seriously diminished in a contract year, essentially making it seem like the writing was on the wall.

Harris is now on the team that brought the best out of him, and will now be hoping that he brings out the best in the Bills.

---

Thanks for reading our SI-powered coverage of your Buffalo Bills ... Bills Mafia!

Follow Harrison Reno on Twitter

Get your Buffalo game tickets from SI Tickets ... here!

You're a member of Bills Mafia hungry for more Buffalo coverage? Read here.