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' Ed Oliver: Inks extension with Buffalo
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Oliver agreed to a four-year, $68 million extension with Buffalo on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Oliver will now be tied to the Bills for the next five seasons, as the team also agreed to exercise his fifth-year option, which was worth $10.7 million, in April. The 25-year-old dealt with various injuries last season that limited him to the lowest playing time of his career -- 495 defensive snaps over 13 games --, and he has yet to match the production from his career-best 2019 rookie campaign, when he tallied 43 tackles and five sacks. Nevertheless, Oliver will now cash in on a long-term extension that includes $45 million guaranteed, per Schefter, thus giving him a chance to live up to his status as a top-10 draft pick moving forward.
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Bills' DaQuan Jones: Back in action
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Jones returned to action and was participating in OTAs on Tuesday, Bill Wippert of the Bills' official site reports.
Jones suffered a calf injury during Buffalo's wild-card win against Miami but is now practicing once again. The 31-year-old registered 38 tackles (22 solo) and two sacks in 16 games last season and will likely be a key part of the Bills' defensive line rotation once again during the upcoming campaign.
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Bills' Micah Hyde: Participating in OTAs
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Hyde is participating in OTAs this week after recovering from a neck injury, Nick Sabato of the Niagara Gazette reports.
Hyde logged seven tackles (four solo) in just two games last before spending the rest of the 2022 season on injured reserve. Now healthy, the 2013 fifth-round pick will look to return to form and serve as an anchor in Buffalo's secondary once again.
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Bills' Von Miller: Expects to be ready for 2023
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Miller (knee) expects to be ready to go for Week 1 of the 2023 campaign, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.
Miller suffered a torn ACL on Thanksgiving against the Lions and has been going through the slow recovery process since. The 34-year-old said that he "feels great" and feels like he'll be "ready to go for the start of the season," though he did say that if it wasn't Week 1, he'd be back by Week 6. If he is required to be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list to open the year, that's where Week 6 comes into play, which would be the earliest he could return in that scenario. Over 11 contests in his first season with the Bills in 2022, Miller recorded 21 total tackles, including eight sacks, while also deflecting two passes and forcing a fumble.
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Brandin Bryant: Cut by Buffalo
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Bryant was released by the Bills on Thursday.
The veteran defensive tackle now becomes a free agent after spending the last four years in Buffalo and Cleveland. Bryant has appeared in only 11 games over his NFL career and has mostly bounced back and forth between active rosters and practice squads.
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Bills' Dean Marlowe: Returns to Buffalo
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Marlowe re-signed with the Bills on Monday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Marlowe finished last season in Buffalo after being acquired via trade with the Falcons. The 30-year-old played a total of 12 games between the two teams, recording 14 tackles (10 solo). He'll likely compete for a depth role in the Bills secondary.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Could play outside or middle
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General manager Brandon Beane said this weekend that Williams, drafted in the third round Friday, could get a chance to compete for the vacant starting middle linebacker spot, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports. Said Beane, "And Dorian, we'll see. We're not ruling it out. We're still talking about maybe we'll look at him as a guy to get in there and compete at Mike."
Williams is probably more geared toward weak-side linebacker, at least to start his career, but that WLB spot is open for competition as well. The only linebacker spot that's a certainty on this team is star defender Matt Milano starting on the strong side. Williams probably has a lot of catching up to do -- his competition already has more experience, and the rookie indicated the Buffalo playbook is much more involved versus what he was dealing with at Tulane -- but in terms of a third-round rookie at least having a chance to compete, this is a good landing spot for him as he may get two cracks at significant playing time.
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Bills' Alex Austin: Goes to Buffalo
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The Bills selected Austin in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, 252nd overall.
Austin is a lengthy corner who tallied 12 passes defended his redshirt junior season before declaring for the NFL Draft. A 4.55 40-yard dash is less than ideal especially as a primary zone-based corner, but he'll have an opportunity to grow in a secondary littered with lanky athletes.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Heading to Buffalo
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The Bills selected Williams in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 91st overall.
Tremaine Edmunds' departure in free agency made linebacker a need for Buffalo, and Williams helps there. The Tulane product is small for the position at 6-foot and 228 pounds, but he's got the speed (4.49 with an 89th percentile 10-yard split) to be reliable in coverage. His lack of size could be a problem against the run, however.
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Bills' Von Miller: Eye on return to action
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Miller, who suffered a torn ACL in November, has been participating in voluntary workouts with his teammates this week, Grace Heidinger of the Bills' official site reports. Said the veteran, "Sitting here at month four, I feel great. I haven't started doing football stuff and rip moves and all that stuff, but I feel great, and I feel positive that I'll be ready to go early in the season for sure."
Miller's words indicate he may be no sure thing for Week 1. The Bills followed a similar path last season with Tre'Davious White, who started the season on the PUP list and didn't return until November, oddly enough it was the very game Miller suffered his own injury. Whenever he does return, Miller will certainly bolster the team's pass rush -- at 33 years of age he posted 8.0 sacks in just 11 games last season. We'll see if he shows signs during training camp of being able to return close to Week 1, though a PUP designation looms as a possibility.
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Bills' Tyrel Dodson: In mix for starting role
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Bills general manager Brandon Beane mentioned Dodson by name Tuesday when discussing possible replacements for the vacant starting middle linebacker job following the departure of long-time starter Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, Maddy Glab of the team's official site reports. "I think we got some young guys that have waited their turn and their opportunity," Beane said. "Let's start with Tyrel Dodson who has been here for a while in our system and knows it. I think he filled in admirably when Tremaine missed time. And so, I think he'll have that opportunity."
The Bills still have time to bring someone in via free agency or the upcoming draft, but for now it looks like a four-way competition for the job between Dodson, A.J. Klein, Terrel Bernard and Baylon Spector. Dodson -- who posted 32 tackles and a sack last season and served as the primary fill-in in for Edmunds when he was hurt -- and Klein offer more experience than the other two teammates, who were both rookies last season.
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Bills' Terrel Bernard: Set to compete for starting role
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Bills general manager Brandon Beane mentioned Bernard by name Tuesday when discussing possible replacements for the vacant starting middle linebacker job following the departure of long-time starter Tremaine Edmunds in free agency, Maddy Glab of the team's official site reports.
That said, there are several other players in the mix for starting roles alongside standout outside linebacker Matt Milano, including Tyrel Dodson, Baylon Spector, A.J. Klein and anyone else the Bills might bring in via free agency or the 2023 NFL Draft. Bernard was mostly a special-teams contributor during his rookie season as a third-round pick out of Baylor and totaled 22 tackles on the season, but he'll at least have a chance to compete for more work and perhaps even a starting role in 2023.
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Bills' Von Miller: May be able to play early in 2023
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Miller (knee) said Tuesday that he feels great and is confident he'll be ready "early in the season," but he hasn't started doing any football activities yet, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Miller tore his right ACL in Week 12 last season, marking the second time he's suffered the injury during his NFL career. The veteran pass rusher told reporters that he's not stressing about the injury as much as he did in 2013, so it appears his previous experience is proving beneficial. Despite positive updates, Miller still has plenty of hurdles to clear before he's ready for game action, so at this point, it's a possibility he'll miss at least the first few weeks of the 2023 regular season. However, when Miller is cleared, he figures to lead Buffalo's pass rush once again after recording eight sacks in his first 11 games as a Bill last year.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Cleared for football activities
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GM Brandon Beane noted Tuesday that Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game against the Bengals, has been fully cleared to return to playing football, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
"He is fully cleared," Beane said of the 25-year-old, adding that Hamlin is "in a great headspace to make his return." Getzenberg also relays that Hamlin, who saw his last specialist Friday, is present and participating in the Bills' current voluntary workouts, which started Monday. As Hamlin continues to progress in his remarkable recovery, he'll be a candidate to rejoin Buffalo's secondary this coming season and bolster the depth of a safety corps that features Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde.
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Bills' A.J. Klein: Sticking with Buffalo
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The Bills signed Klein to a one-year contract Monday, Grace Heidinger of the team's official site reports.
A season ago, Klein played in two games for the Ravens, two matchups for the Bears and six contests as a member of the Bills. The 31-year-old linebacker is currently heading into his 11th NFL campaign, and he's once again in a position to compete for a starting gig in 2023.
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Bills' Shaq Lawson: Returns on one-year deal again
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The Bills are re-signing Lawson on a one-year contract Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
Lawson also played out the 2022 season with Buffalo on a one-year deal, recording 3.5 sacks in his 15 appearances that campaign. The veteran defensive end also had 31 tackles (19 solo), one pass breakup and one forced fumble last year.
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Bills' Jordan Phillips: Re-signs with Buffalo
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Phillips (shoulder) agreed to a one-year, $3 million deal with the Bills on Wednesday, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.
Phillips underwent surgery to repair his torn rotator cuff following the conclusion of the 2022 season, but the Bills seem confident the veteran defensive tackle will be healthy by training camp. After being cut by the Cardinals last offseason, Phillips began his second stint with the Bills in 2022 and tallied 20 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 12 games. He'll likely fill a rotational role along the defensive line during the upcoming campaign.
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Bills' Von Miller: On road to full recovery
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Coach Sean McDermott said Monday that Miller, who suffered an ACL injury in Week 12 last season, is on schedule with his recovery, Grace Heidinger of the Bills' official site reports.
Said McDermott, "And then you talk about the piece that he's working on, which is getting healthy to play and play well on the field. That's a whole other piece and to this point, it sounds like he's on schedule." Miller had 8.0 sacks in just 11 games last season -- not bad at all for a 33-year-old (now 34) -- so the Bills are certainly looking forward to having him back to lead the pass rush once again in what will be his second campaign with the team.
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Raiders' Jaquan Johnson: Signing with Las Vegas
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Johnson agreed to terms with the Raiders on a one-year deal Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Johnson now will leave Buffalo, where he's spent the past four seasons, and head out west to Las Vegas. The 2019 sixth-round pick is coming off of his most productive campaign, registering 32 tackles (16 solo) and an interception while playing on both defense and special teams. The 27-year-old will likely serve as a reserve safety in addition to playing on special teams for the Raiders next season.
