- Damar Hamlin is a safety for the Buffalo Bills, and the sixth-round pick was drafted in 2021 by the Bills after playing at Pittsburgh in college.
- The NFL world was mortified after Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field against Cincinnati in January 2023.
- Hamlin was cleared for a return to football in 2023, and will make his first start for the Bills in their NFL Week 1 opener against Arizona.
Damar Hamlin is one of the NFL’s true feelgood stories. The Buffalo Bills’ safety was at the center of one of the NFL’s scariest moments after suffering a cardiac arrest in a January 2023 game against Cincinnati. Forget about his NFL career; Hamlin’s life was in danger.
However, ESPN reported on Wednesday, September 4, that Hamlin would be one of Buffalo’s Week 1 starting safeties when they host Arizona on Sunday, September 8.
Hamlin Completes Long Journey Back to Starting Lineup
Hamlin was selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, and the 212th pick went to college at the University of Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh native played in 14 games in his rookie season, posting two tackles and two passes defensed.
He took a big leap in his second year, as Hamlin was third on the Bills in tackles with 91, adding 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. It looked like Hamlin was set to be a major player in the Buffalo secondary, before disaster struck.
Hamlin was making a tackle on Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins in a game on January 2, 2023. He stood up and immediately fell backward, collapsing on the field. Medical staff was on the scene immediately, and a defibrillator and CPR were used to revive Hamlin, who was then taken to the University of Cincinnati hospital. Hamlin was also intubated on the field, while players on both teams kneeled near Hamlin. The game was suspended that night, and later cancelled altogether.
Hamlin was awake on January 5, and by the next day, his breathing tube was removed. He returned to Buffalo on January 9, and was on the field at Super Bowl LVII. Hamlin brought medical staff from Buffalo and Cincinnati to join him. On April 18, Hamlin was cleared to play football again. He was a massive favorite in last season’s NFL Comeback Player of the Year odds, but Hamlin somehow lost to Joe Flacco. Hamlin was extremely emotional when presenting the Pat Tillman Award to the Bills’ training staff at the ESPYs.
The Bills eased Hamlin back into the lineup in 2023, as he played in five games and posted two tackles. But the news of Hamlin starting should be a considerable boost to their efforts, and their team spirit.
Will Hamlin Make a Big Impact for the Bills in 2024?
Hamlin starting won’t make a big splash at NFL betting sites, as safeties rarely have an impact there. Hamlin is also starting because the Bills let Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer leave in free agency. The Bills have also had some injuries in the preseason, allowing Hamlin the chance to move into the starting lineup.
There could be a little bit of rust from Hamlin, and he hasn’t started a game since the incident in Cincinnati, so his conditioning might need some work. But Hamlin showed in 2022 that he had the skills to be a starter in the NFL, and now he has the opportunity to put a bow on a fantastic story.
