Hamlin (shoulder) is absent from the Bills' final injury report ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Dolphins.
Hamlin missed last week's win over the Patriots due to a shoulder injury. Barring any setbacks, he should be available to provide depth in Buffalo's secondary and contribute on special teams as needed, though he's also been a healthy inactive for much of the season.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Set for season debut
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Hamlin is on the active roster for Sunday's home matchup against Tennessee.
Hamlin has yet to play a snap in the NFL since last season's near-tragic cardiac incident that caused the postponement of a game and put his playing future in jeopardy. He's since been cleared to practice and play in full, and he will now get his chance to once again see live game action. This is partially due to team need for depth in the secondary, as fellow safety Jordan Poyer (knee) is inactive for the contest. Hamlin was a meaningful contributor during his rookie season in 2022 prior to the incident, and at one point had three consecutive games with double-digit tackles, so the potential is there for him to become a fantasy contributor, even if it's only in the short term.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Important milestone
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Hamlin participated in a full contact practice Monday for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest Jan. 2, Alec White of the Bills' official site reports."I'm just thankful," Hamlin said. "I'm just blessed to be able to do what I wanted to do as a kid again, at the highest level, after going through such a traumatic situation. To be able to come out here and compete again at the highest level in the world. That's such a blessing."
Hamlin has come all the way back from his life-threatening cardiac incident and is now able to sport full pads while tackling and doing everything else associated with full contact. While his return is inspiring, it's not clear where he fits in a deep Bills secondary now that star safety Micah Hyde is also healthy. This will be an important camp and preseason for Hamlin as he tries to lock down a meaningful reserve role on Buffalo's Week 1 roster.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Full participant Tuesday
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Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game versus the Bengals, was a full participant at practice Tuesday.
Hamlin got fully cleared for football activities in mid-April, but Tuesday was the first time the safety was a full participant in a practice since his scary departure in Week 16 last year. The 2021 sixth-round pick's recovery has been remarkable, but he now finds himself battling for a roster spot in a secondary that features Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who are both healthy after missing extended time last year due to injuries.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: More good news
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Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo-area hospital Tuesday and will be allowed to continue his recovery from home, the Bills' official site reports.
This is simply the best possible outcome for Hamlin, the Bills and pretty much the entire football world after what happened on the field just over a week ago. While Hamlin was placed on IR three days ago, we wouldn't be surprised if he's able to at least be around his teammates at some point during the Bills' playoff march, which begins Sunday against Miami. We should know in a few months whether Hamlin will be allowed to resume his football career.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Placed on IR
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The Bills placed Hamlin on injured reserve Friday.
The roster move officially ends Hamlin's season, but more importantly, the reports regarding the 24-year-old safety's recovery from the cardiac incident he suffered in Monday's game against the Bengals -- which has since been postponed -- have been increasingly positive in recent days. The Bills announced earlier Friday that Hamlin, who remains in intensive care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, had his breathing tube removed overnight and has since resumed speaking with his family and doctors, as well as with his teammates virtually. Hamlin's care team has also noted that his neurological function remains intact, but at this stage, his physicians have said that it's too early in his recovery process to know whether he'll be able to resume his football career.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Condition continuing to improve
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The Bills announced in a statement released Thursday that Hamlin has shown "remarkable improvement" in his recovery from the cardiac incident he suffered in Monday's game against the Bengals and "is making steady progress."
Though the statement notes that Hamlin is still considered "critically ill," the 24-year-old safety's lungs are continuing to heal, and he "has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact."
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Signs of improvement noted
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Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition with signs of improvement noted Tuesday and overnight, according to an official statement from the Bills released Wednesday.
Per the team's statement, the 24-year-old safety, who suffered from cardiac arrest following a hit during Monday's game versus the Bengals, is expected to remain in the ICU as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Taken off in ambulance
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Hamlin was tended to on the field by medical personnel before being loaded into an ambulance during Monday's game against Cincinnati, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports
Hamlin went down after sustaining a hit to the head and neck area in the first quarter, and he was immediately tended to on the field by members of both teams' medical staff. He was then given CPR by emergency medical personnel before being loaded into an ambulance via stretcher, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Records double-digit tackles
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Hamlin had 11 tackles (eight solo) in Sunday's 33-30 overtime loss to the Vikings.
Hamlin has racked up 10 or more tackles in each of his last three matchups, and he also logged a season high in snaps with 78 in Week 10. The Pittsburgh product has recorded 62 tackles (46 solo) and 1.5 sacks through nine contests in 2022.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Seven solo tackles in win
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Hamlin recorded seven solo tackles during Sunday's 24-20 win over the Chiefs.
With Micah Hyde (neck) sidelined, Hamlin has stepped up as the Bills' starting free safety, recording 26 tackles and half a sack across his last four appearances. Buffalo has a Week 7 bye, so the second-year safety will look to continue his strong play against the Packers in Week 8.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Another eight-tackle game Sunday
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Hamlin recorded eight tackles (six solo) during Sunday's 38-3 win over the Steelers.
For a second consecutive week, Hamlin logged eight stops en route to a Buffalo victory. With Micah Hyde (neck) expected to miss the rest of the 2022 campaign with a neck injury, Hamlin figures to continue serving as one of the team's starting safeties alongside Jordan Poyer, who has already missed two games this year with foot and rib injuries. The 24-year-old Hamlin's next chance to shine comes Sunday in Kansas City.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Big test awaits
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Hamlin is expected to start at safety with both starters -- Michael Hyde (neck) and Jordan Poyer (foot) -- out of commission for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.
Hamlin hasn't seen much action on defense after being selected in the sixth round of the 2021 Draft (59 snaps in total), but he'll have a big opportunity to show that he's ready for more responsibility if he can help the depleted Bills slow down what's become a strong Miami passing attack.
