Hours after losing Devin Singletary to the Texans, the Bills agreed to terms with Damien Harris. The former Patriot appeared to fill the Singletary void, with the signing coming shortly after GM Brandon Beane said the team was looking to add at the position.
Buffalo might not be done with backfield augmentations. The team brought in Latavius Murray on a free agency visit, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Most recently with the Broncos, Murray has managed to play 10 NFL seasons despite being a sixth-round pick.
The Broncos appeared to be a potential spot for Murray, who led them in rushing last season. Javonte Williams‘ ACL recovery timetable may bleed into the regular season — or at least into training camp — and former Murray coach Sean Payton is now at the helm. Payton also referenced a Murray text exchange ahead of his Denver courtship, seemingly indicating a return could be in play for the ex-Alvin Kamara change-of-pace back. But Samaje Perine signed with the Broncos, potentially removing Murray from the equation. Even after the Broncos’ Perine add, Murray return rumors persisted. But nothing has developed on that front.
Murray, 33, quickly leapfrogged Melvin Gordon upon arriving in Denver from New Orleans’ practice squad. Despite the in-season arrival, the former Raiders sixth-rounder more than doubled Gordon’s yardage output and finished with 703 (4.4 per carry). Murray’s contract expired in March. If Murray were to play an age-33 season, he would join a select group of modern backs to do so. Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson are the only pure running backs to be on a team’s Week 1 roster at 33 or older over the past six years. Ex-Murray Saints teammate Mark Ingram, who turned 33 in December, will try to join this club as well.
The Bills added Harris to a backfield corps that includes 2022 second-round pick James Cook and deadline acquisition Nyheim Hines. While Hines contributes regularly as a return specialist, he also has passing-game chops. Murray would stand to overlap with the Harris as a between-the-tackles threat, but the Bills are taking a look anyway. Murray is from central New York, though he went to college at Central Florida.
The Syracuse-area native has played for five teams and has a 1,000-yard season — back in 2015 with Oakland — on his resume. Murray has mostly worked as an off-the-bench back, playing alongside the likes of Kamara and Dalvin Cook. But the Broncos turned to him as a near-full-timer last season, with Williams on the shelf and Gordon again struggling with ball security. Murray topped 100 rushing yards in two of Denver’s final four games, including a 130-yard showing against the Cardinals in Week 15.