Why Patriots Tenure ‘Wasn’t Easy’ For Bills’ Damien Harris

Damien Harris had plenty of kind words for New England Patriots players and coaches in March after signing a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills. But Harris also can recall some of the lesser moments from his tenure in New England.

Harris told Buffalo News' Ryan O'Halloran his four-year stint with the Patriots "wasn't easy from the beginning." The 2019 third-rounder attributed it to the amount of time he missed for Bill Belichick's team.

Harris played 38 of a possible 66 games during his four campaigns. He was stapled to the bench his rookie season, as rookie running backs so often are with the Patriots, and dealt with injuries during both his sophomore campaign and final season.

"My second year, I started out banged up, ended up banged up," Harris told O'Halloran, a season in which he scored two touchdowns in 10 games. "Last year, I was banged up."

In 2020, Harris was placed on injured reserve and limited to 10 starts. And in 2022, Harris was limited to 11 games due to hamstring and thigh injuries all while second-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson burst onto the scene. Harris finished the campaign with 106 carries for 462 yards and three touchdowns.

Harris enjoyed his most productive season in 2021. He was second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns and turned 202 attempts into 929 yards. The combination of Harris-Stevenson was a major reason why New England reached the postseason.

But the Patriots now feel comfortable with Stevenson as the headliner and let Harris walk. New England, however, also has been mentioned in recent rumors for free agent Dalvin Cook.

Harris reportedly will carry a base salary of $1.7 million during the 2023 campaign while getting to play alongside quarterback Josh Allen. He'll return to the open market again next offseason.