The Buffalo Bills filled their vacancy at running back by signing former New England Patriots standout Damien Harris. As Harris gets ready to begin his Bills' tenure, the running back credits his two former head coaches for his growth in the NFL.

With the Patriots, Harris was coached by Bill Belichick. Before he entered the league, Harris played for Nick Saban at Alabama. In both situations, Harris says he was able to soak in information and ultimately learned what it means to be a professional, via Chris Mason of MassLive.

“I feel like with Coach Saban at Alabama, he started to introduce me to what it means to be a professional and how to become a professional,” Harris said. “And then once I got to New England, one thing that Coach Belichick was great at teaching was how to maintain that level of professionalism, that way you can maintain success throughout your career.”

“So, I want to be a pro's pro,” Harris continued. “I want to do everything the right way. I want to positively affect my teammates.”

Harris signed a one-year, $1.7 million contract. With last year's starter Devin Singletary signing with the Texans, Harris is the presumed starter in Buffalo. He spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Patriots. In 38 games, Harris ran for 2,094 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Now with the Bills, Damien Harris will be entering the next stage of his NFL career. He doesn't come to Buffalo empty-handed as both Bill Belichick and Nick Saban have imparted their wisdom on the running backs. The Bills are hoping it translates and Harris' strong play makes the short trek from Boston to Buffalo.