Bills BREAKING: Damar Hamlin Makes 53-Man Roster
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has made the team's 53-man roster, per reports Tuesday from NFL Network.
Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest at the end of last season, was far from a lock to make the 2023 team both due to potential medical uncertainties and the talent already on the Buffalo defense. But he'll now have a role both as a safety and special teams guy this season.
When Hamlin takes the field this season, he'll no doubt be a rightful front-runner for the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year. However, the possibility that he could miss out on the opening day roster was a conversation to be had earlier in the offseason.
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Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News was asked about the possibility in a mailbag with fans. While almost every sign would point to Hamlin sticking around, Skurski admitted that it was not an ironclad certainty, even with, as questioner says a "potential PR nightmare" looming if Hamlin were to have been waived.
"My opinion is Hamlin will want to be treated like any other player, meaning he’ll need to earn a spot on the 53-man roster the same way his teammates will," Skurski wrote. "Given what he went through last season, however, it would be foolish to think that might not have some impact on the Bills’ thinking.
Instead, Hamlin made his return to the field this preseason and "faced his fears" in the process.
"What a challenge, who can say they get to face their fears like this in front of the entire world," Hamlin said after the first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts. "It was a good step in the right direction as far as internally for myself."
The Bills kickoff the season on the road on Monday, Sept. 11 against the New York Jets.
