Bills S Damar Hamlin shines in offseason practice with ‘high-level’ play

In a Buffalo Bills safeties group that has seen significant turnover and a handful of relatively large additions during the 2024 NFL offseason, he’s an overlooked and fan-favorite defensive back who is making an early impact.

Damar Hamlin participated in the team’s voluntary OTA practices in May, making several spectacular plays to re-enter the scrimmage in what is still a wide-open safety competition. Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott spoke to reporters about Hamlin before Tuesday’s minicamp practice, praising his mindset and attention to detail.

“I think over the last few weeks he’s been playing more consistently, at a high level,” McDermott said. “Very, very focused and putting himself in a really good position not only knowing the defense, but just getting back to playing fast and detail.”

Related: Former NFL QB puts Buffalo Bills ‘unicorn’ Josh Allen in elite category

The Bills are currently trying to fill not one, but two starting safety roles following the offseason departures of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, who have combined for 202 starts at Orchard Park over the past seven seasons. Returning defenseman Taylor Rapp has apparently already secured one of the spots, with McDermott insinuating Tuesday that the other starting role is still up for grabs.

Enter Hamlin, who has some starting experience himself: The hard-hitting safety logged 13 starts in place of the injured Hyde during the 2022 season, making 91 tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble . His season ended prematurely in a Week 17 game with the Cincinnati Bengals; security suffered cardiac arrest on the field and was transported to a local hospital, a tragic situation that resulted in the temporary shutdown and ultimately cancellation of the contest. Hamlin woke up several days after the incident and was miraculously released from the hospital a week after his admission, even appearing in the Bills’ divisional round playoff game with the Bengals.

He made a full recovery and performed remarkably during the 2023 season, appearing in five regular season games in what was largely a depth and special teams role. With the health incident now over a year ago and a starting spot now available, Hamlin is positioned well to step up for the role he previously played in.