Damar Hamlin's Comeback: Could He Claim a Starting Spot For The Bills In 2024?

Many people watching Monday Night Football on January 3, 2023, can't forget that night. Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field in Cincinnati. The Bills medical staff saved his life that night.

Doctors cleared Hamlin to play last season but was a healthy scratch in many games. He played just 30 snaps the entire year, most of them on special teams. Some around the team wondered if he had a spot on the roster this season.

You can't count Damar Hamlin out. He's been working with the first-team defense since camp opened last week, and coaches are impressed with his play.

Hamlin Making Plays With Bills Starters

Damar Hamlin was on the field as a starter for the Buffalo Bills as training camp opened last week at St. John Fisher College in Rochester, New York.

"He’s been in the system for a while; he knows the expectations. Look, there was a lot that came with what happened to Damar. Not just the event, but what came after it, and he handled it absolutely as well as anybody could handle it." said Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. "What he’s exhibiting is he’s a professional and when it comes down to it, you know, there is competition at that position. And he understands that, and he’s put himself in a position to be ready for that opportunity.”

Coaches say he's making plays like in 2022 when he started 15 games for the Bills. Hamlin says coming back was difficult,

“It’s to be expected, but an increased focus from a year ago, an increased urgency, and really just getting back to what he was again," Bills head coach Sean McDermott said . "It’s to be expected, respectfully, to what he went through. It’s fun watching him have fun out there. He’s been able to do that, and you can tell that he means business.”

Bills Injuries Open Competition At Safety

The Bills' front office has been busy signing veteran free-agent safeties Mike Edwards and Terrell Burgess, as well as 15-year veteran safety Kareem Jackson. Edwards is already out with a hamstring injury, and the team says he's week-to-week.

Bills rookie second-round pick safety Cole Bishop from Utah was helped off the field and had his arm heavily wrapped Tuesday morning. There are jobs open in the secondary.

A Buffalo Bills ' fan-favorite era ended in the offseason. After starting together for the past five seasons, the team released starting safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. Hyde was an all-pro selection last season.

Hamlin Has A Shot At Starting For The Bills

Damar Hamlin was a sixth-round draft pick out of Pitt in 2021 and didn't get much attention on draft weekend. He believes he has something to prove .

"My heart is still in the game. I love the game," Hamlin said, adding he wants to show he can get back on the field. "It's something I want to prove to myself, not nobody else. I just want to show people that fear is a choice, that you can keep going at something without knowing the answers, without knowing what's at the end of the tunnel."

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