Damar Hamlin Is Ready To Start In First NFL Game For Bills Since 2023 Cardiac Arrest: ‘Truly A Blessing’

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is ready to play football ! The 26-year-old athlete will start his first game since his near-death experience in early 2023.

When Coach Sean McDermott announced the news, he also shared that Hamlin will be partnered with Taylor Rapp for their upcoming Sunday game against the Arizona Cardinals, according to CBS .

“What else can’t this young man do?” McDermott said. “It’s one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It’s another thing to come back off of what he came back off of, right, let alone just decide to play contact football. … I mean, it’s incredible.”

He added, “We’re just extremely proud and full of gratitude to watch him go through what he’s went through and where he is now.”

As Blavity reported, Hamlin collapsed on the field after a tackle during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023. Following the emergency, he was in a coma for two days before regaining consciousness. Initially, doctors weren’t sure what caused the health scare but later learned it was commotio cordis , which occurs “after a sudden, blunt impact to the chest.” Then, in April 2024, Hamlin was given the green light to resume practice, per Blavity .

“Truly a blessing. I reflect back on the whole process and not knowing if I would even be able to play again,” Hamlin said at a recent press conference. “Sitting in that uncertainty was like eating at me, it was really eating at me because football is truly my passion. It’s the thing that I’ve always been obsessed with my entire life.”

He added, “It all goes to the power of being process-oriented and taking things one day at a time and accepting where you are at each moment of the process truly allows you to conquer anything of what you’re facing.”

Hamlin is grateful for the life-changing moment as it gave him a greater purpose and forced him to be more intentional.

“As much as the world experienced it, it happened to me,” he said. “I enjoy that part of it because it allows me to stay connected with the reason why I’m here … and I have a second chance at doing things the right way in all areas of my life.”