Former New England Patriots running back Damien Harris announced his retirement from professional football on Monday at age 27. The Patriots selected Harris in the third round (87th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft out of Alabama, and he had 449 rushing attempts for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns in his four years in New England in 38 regular-season games (34 starts) while adding 40 receptions on 51 targets for an additional 281 receiving yards. Harris spent the 2023 campaign with the Buffalo Bills but played in only six games before suffering a season-ending concussion/neck injury that saw him be taken off the field in an ambulance. He'll end his NFL career after just five seasons, recording 2,188 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 427 carries with the Pats and Bills.
Mar 25, 2024 9:07 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris (neck, concussion) has been placed on injured reserve. He will miss a minimum of four games. In a corresponding move, running back Ty Johnson was elevated from the practice squad. Harris had been splitting time with Latavius Murray as depth options behind James Cook, but he will now miss extended time after exiting Week 6 and being taken to the hospital with a serious upper-body injury. Harris was discharged the next day, but his road to recovery will still take some time. Placing the 26-year-old on IR gives Murray sole possession of the No. 2 role while Johnson occupies the third-string role.
Oct 20, 2023 4:19 PM EST
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that running back Damien Harris (concussion, neck) has been ruled out for the Week 7 contest against the division-rival New England Patriots on Sunday. It's not a surprise after Harris was taken by ambulance to a local hospital last Sunday night after suffering a concussion and a neck sprain on his only carry of the night in the win over the New York Giants. The 26-year-old didn't practice at all this week and is likely looking at a multi-week absence. He could be a candidate to go on Injured Reserve, which would require him to miss four games. In Harris' absence, Latavius Murray becomes a more attractive touchdown-dependent flex option as the goal-line option at RB for the Bills.
Oct 20, 2023 12:17 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris (concussion, neck) remained absent from practice on Thursday for the second straight day, according to head coach Sean McDermott. Harris suffered a concussion and a neck injury on his only carry of the game in Sunday night's win over the New York Giants, and he had to be placed on a backboard, taken off the field in an ambulance and evaluated at a hospital. The 26-year-old has since been released from the hospital, but he unsurprisingly hasn't practiced this week and is a long shot to play in Week 7 against the New England Patriots. Harris is probably a good bet to miss more time as well, and he could be a candidate for Injured Reserve. Veteran Latavius Murray will be a more appealing touchdown-dependent flex behind James Cook for however long Harris is out.
Oct 19, 2023 12:29 PM EST
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that running back Damien Harris (concussion, neck) will not practice in the team's walkthrough on Wednesday. Harris is in the league's concussion protocol and is also dealing with a neck sprain from a scary injury he suffered in Sunday night's win over the New York Giants. The 26-year-old was hurt on his only carry of the game and had to be placed on a backboard and taken to a local hospital in an ambulance. He has since been released from the hospital and has been resting at home. Harris is expected to recover, but he almost certainly won't be available in Week 7 against the New England Patriots, and it's a good bet he'll miss additional time. Latavius Murray will get more run alongside James Cook for as long as Harris is sidelined.
Oct 18, 2023 12:12 PM EST
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said that running back Damien Harris (concussion, neck) is out of the hospital and is resting at home. Harris is in the league's concussion protocol and also has a neck sprain, but he seems to be in good spirits on Monday after suffering a scary injury in the Sunday night win over the New York Giants on his only carry of the game. It was another scary scene for Bills players when Harris had to be put on a backboard and taken away in an ambulance on Sunday night. He had feeling and movement in all his extremities, though, and it looks like he'll end up being fine. However, the 26-year-old is likely going to miss time, so don't expect him to be active in Week 7 against the New England Patriots. Veteran Latavius Murray will have a bigger role behind James Cook for however long Harris is out.
Oct 16, 2023 7:55 PM EST
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said it was his understanding that running back Damien Harris (neck) has full movement after suffering a neck injury in Sunday night's 14-9 win over the New York Giants and that he is "heading in a good direction." Harris suffered a scary neck injury on his only carry of the Week 6 game and had to be put on a backboard and taken off the field via ambulance. The 26-year-old gave a thumbs up when leaving the field, though, and he reportedly had movement in all of his extremities, which is a great sign. We'll continue to keep a close eye on Harris' progress, but we shouldn't expect him to be available for a Week 7 contest against the New England Patriots. For however long he's sidelined, veteran Latavius Murray will have a bigger role alongside James Cook in Buffalo's backfield.
Oct 16, 2023 12:13 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris was taken off the field by an ambulance on Monday night after a scary hit in the second quarter. It seems to be either a head or neck injury but the official diagnosis hasn't come out just yet. Harris won't return in this game and his health will be something to monitor as he'll undergo plenty of tests to understand the severity. He was able to give a thumbs up as he left the field which seemed to be somewhat of a good sign. James Cook and Latavius Murray will take over the rest of the backfield work against the Giants.
Oct 15, 2023 9:56 PM EST
Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (quadriceps) and running back Damien Harris (neck) were both removed from Friday's final Week 5 injury report and will play on Sunday in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Knox was a full practice participant on Friday after putting in two limited sessions earlier in the week. Harris was a full-go the last two days. It's tough to recommend either player in starting fantasy lineups this weekend. Knox's fantasy value has taken a considerable hit in 2023 with the addition of rookie pass-catching tight end Dalton Kincaid. Meanwhile, Harris is sharing short-yardage and goal-line duties with veteran Latavius Murray and is fighting for scraps behind starter James Cook.
Oct 6, 2023 1:10 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris (neck) was able to practice in full on Thursday after he was listed as limited on Wednesday. Barring a setback in practice on Friday, Harris should be able to play this Sunday in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, the 26-year-old shouldn't be anywhere near starting fantasy lineups. He just hasn't been seeing enough work behind starter James Cook in Buffalo while sharing short-yardage and goal-line duties with veteran Latavius Murray. Through his first four games in Buffalo, Harris has just 19 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown and two receptions for 16 yards.
Oct 5, 2023 7:36 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris (neck) was a limited participant in the team's practice on Wednesday. Harris totaled just six carries for 29 yards on 16 snaps in Buffalo's 48-20 win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 4. The veteran saw fewer snaps than running backs James Cook (23) and Latavius Murray (19) in the contest and appears to be third in the pecking order. He'll have two more chances to practice in full before the Bills square off against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 5.
Oct 5, 2023 12:34 AM EST
Running back Damien Harris managed to find the end zone amid Week 2's smackdown of the Las Vegas Raiders for the first touchdown of his Buffalo Bills career. The 26-year-old finds himself in an intimidating matchup on deck against the Washington Commanders' stud nose-tackle combination of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Harris has played behind Latavius Murray for scraps behind lead back James Cook in the opening two weeks, so fantasy managers would really be grasping at straws by inserting Harris into Week 3 lineups. Murray has siphoned five of Buffalo's nine red-zone touches among the three RBs. The power back, Harris, is at least a better bet to hit paydirt than Cook after out-touching him in the red zone 4-0 to this point. Harris probably needs Sunday's meeting to get out of hand in favor of Buffalo to return value as a TD-or-bust RB4/FLEX.
Sep 22, 2023 2:24 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris ran seven times for 33 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 38-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. The 26-year-old most notably plowed into the end zone with the Bills sitting on the ball in the fourth quarter amidst the blowout victory. Harris also continues to see his fair share of high-value touches, keeping him on the fantasy map in games Buffalo is projecting for positive game script. That particular setup was ripe for the picking in this one, and the power back hit paydirt to save an otherwise middling display for "zero-RB" fantasy managers who took the leap of faith in starting him. With Harris well behind James Cook for base work and also sharing red zone totes with incumbent veteran Latavius Murray, he once again resides on the TD-dependent RB3/4 fringe for Week 3's favorable draw against the Washington Commanders.
Sep 18, 2023 1:45 AM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris played a lesser role than some may have perhaps anticipated after he got one carry for three yards and two catches for 16 yards in Week 1. The 26-year-old participated in a concerning 14.7% of Buffalo's Week 1 offensive snaps. Though he didn't see a touch until late in the game, incumbent veteran Latavius Murray took a chunk of Week 1's fourth-quarter snaps for a 20.6% share overall. This caveat especially doesn't bode well for Harris' prospects as Buffalo's preferred grinder to salt the game away if they are sitting on a late lead in Week 2. The Las Vegas Raiders spilled out the third-highest fantasy points per game (25.44), however, to opposing RBs a season ago. While it's a favorable matchup on paper for Harris' bruising play-style, it's unreasonable to rank him any greater than on the touchdown-or-bust RB3/4 borderline considering his scant Week 1 workload.
Sep 15, 2023 10:20 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris took one carry for three yards and caught both of his targets for 13 yards in Monday's 22-16 defeat to the New York Jets. The 26-year-old's lone tote came inside New York's 10-yard line during the second quarter, but that was ultimately the main positive takeaway from an otherwise nondescript Bills debut for the power back. James Cook resoundingly out-touched Harris 16 to 3, and Latavius Murray didn't check in until the fourth period. Buffalo didn't get a lot of action in goal-to-go situations in Week 1, so it remains to be seen which tailback consistently handles those high-value touches. Harris should at least signify a better bet to hit paydirt at home in Week 2's soft matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sep 12, 2023 1:33 AM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris figures to work in a timeshare with teammates James Cook and Latavius Murray in Week 1 against the New York Jets. Harris jumped ship from the New England Patriots to Buffalo on a one-year deal likely to be the squad's preferred goal-line back after Cook didn't receive one carry inside the five-yard line in Year 1. There could be future matchups more befitting to Harris' early-down skill set when the Bills are positioned to play with a lead (perhaps at home in Week 2 versus the Las Vegas Raiders), but Monday's tilt may not be one of those instances. In what projects to be a neutral scoring environment, the 26-year-old power back adds up to a low-floor, touchdown-dependent RB3, who's more attractive in standard leagues in the opener.
Sep 9, 2023 12:31 PM EST
Buffalo Bills running back Damien Harris handled seven carries for 25 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 24-21 preseason win over the Chicago Bears. Making his preseason debut following a knee injury, the 26-year-old power back plunged into the end zone from two yards out on Buffalo's opening drive. Harris played into the second quarter, operating under the secondary role that Latavius Murray held during his absence the last two weeks. James Cook should ultimately lead the Bills in backfield touches this season, but it remains to be seen who will consistently embrace red-zone opportunities out of this trio. Harris figures to be the favorite in short-yardage/goal-line scenarios while Cook takes on base work and passing-down snaps.
Aug 26, 2023 7:08 PM EST
Following the 2023 NFL Draft, Harris is in line to work in a Buffalo backfield that also includes James Cook, Nyheim Hines and Latavius Murray, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
May 1, 2023 9:52 AM EST
Harris rushed 13 times for 48 yards and caught one of four targets for four yards in Sunday's 35-23 loss to the Bills.
Jan 8, 2023 3:53 PM EST
Harris (thigh/personal) rushed nine times for 32 yards and brought in all three targets for 18 yards in the Patriots' 23-21 win over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Jan 1, 2023 2:55 PM EST