Four months ago, Damar Hamlin lay unresponsive on the field of Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. Moments before, he had suffered a cardiac arrest after tackling Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins. Hamlin was transferred to a Cincinnati hospital and released a week later. In the months since he had was released, he has become a very public figure. This included a visit to Capitol Hill, where he advocated for putting more automated external defibulators in schools. It was the fact that Paycor Stadium had an AED that saved Hamlin's life.
Hamlin has seemingly made a miraculous recovery, one good enough to allow him to play for the Bills in the upcoming NFL season. At the time of writing, Hamlin's name appears on the Bill's active roster. This was further evidenced by Hamlin's appearance at the Bills' Organized Team Activities as we move deeper into the offseason.
Hamlin Sees Limited Participation
Hamlin's participation in the OTAs was limited. According to Batavia Daily's Alex Brasky, Hamlin participated in "stretches, agility and conditioning work, along with individual drills." Meanwhile, Hamlin did all this while "wearing a jersey, without pads". However, head coach Sean McDermott made sure to temper expectations. "We're taking it one day at a time and just support Damar in every way possible." Hamlin also reconfirmed his intentions to play. “My heart is still in it. My heart is still in the game. I love the game,” Hamlin told reporters, "This event was life changing,” he continued. "But it’s not the end of my story. So I’m here to announce that I’m planning on making a comeback to the NFL.”
The Bills are blessed with plenty of depth at the safety position. Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde are still projected to start for the Bills, giving Hamlin plenty of time to build up to full strength. However, his participation at OTAs are a great sign that we might see Hamlin, who has played 29 games since being drafted in 2021, in the 2023 season. However, it's a long way until the Bills open their season against the Bills. We'll have all the latest NFL news as the season approaches here on HotNewHipHop.
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