Buffalo Bills land free agency steal from division rival Patriots

The only thing better than finding a great bargain in NFL Free Agency is stealing said bargain from one of your bitter division rivals. The Buffalo Bills have taken over as the top team in the AFC East in recent years, so it’s no surprise that some players from division-rival organizations are flocking to play with Josh Allen.

The Bills have assembled one of the best rosters in the NFL and they certainly added to that — albeit quietly — in NFL Free Agency. The Bills lost Devin Singletary to the Houston Texans, where hundreds of free agents have seemingly flocked to sign one-year deals in recent years, and obviously needed to replace him on the roster to pair up with 2022 second-round pick James Cook.

The departure of Singletary led the Bills to go after former New England Patriots third-round pick Damien Harris, who is coming off of a “down” year, or at least a season in which his role was diminished.

Damien Harris joins pretty loaded Buffalo Bills backfield

The Buffalo Bills are bringing in Harris as well as bringing back Nyhiem Hines, who can add a receiving specialist to the backfield. Where Harris really has a chance to dominate the timeshare in Buffalo is in his third-down prowess.

While this guy can certainly get north and south in a hurry when he has the ball in his hands, Harris is also a good pass protector and physical in that aspect of the game. When he played at Alabama, that was one of the things he was really known for doing well there, in addition to bringing an element to the passing game as a receiver himself.

Although Harris’ role diminished in 2022, he had an outstanding 2021 season with the Patriots in which he racked up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and a career-high 15 rushing touchdowns. That 15 rushing touchdown season was sandwiched in between seasons in which Harris had just two and three rushing touchdowns, but for an offense that moves the ball as efficiently and effectively as the Bills, we could see him reach that double-digit touchdown mark once again in Buffalo.

I made a point to call Damien Harris a free agent “steal” for the Buffalo Bills, so let’s talk about the price to acquire his services for a moment. The Bills signed Harris to a one-year deal worth $1.77 million in total money. Punters and long snappers got more money from their new teams than Harris did. And this is a young back who had 15 touchdowns just two seasons ago.

Again, you can’t help but love a good free agency bargain and you can’t help but love it even more when you take a guy from your division rival. The Bills haven’t been known in recent years for their strong running game, although it’s also not like their offense has lacked balance.

The departure of Singletary and the acquisition of Damien Harris can help the Bills finish more drives and become a very tough team late in games because he’s going to bring a physical presence in the running game to grind out tough yardage and grind out seconds on the clock.

For a team like the Bills, this is a home run kind of signing for pennies on the dollar. And if Harris does well this season, they can thank their bitter rivals in New England.