Damar Hamlin will be the starting safety for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday when they face the Arizona Cardinals, marking the first time he will start a game since he suffered cardiac arrest during a game on January 2, 2023.
Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott made the announcement On Wednesday.
“What else can’t this young man do?” McDermott said. “He went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about it over and over again, and to come back from that, it’s one thing to come back from an ACL injury or a broken bone.
“It’s another thing to recover from what he did. And it’s another thing to decide to play football, and contact football, with full padding at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything else. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin went through a lengthy recovery process and played five games as a reserve last season with the Bills. The 26-year-old Pitt alum started 13 games in 2022 before the on-field emergency against the Cincinnati Bengals.
McDermott noted that Hamlin has earned this opportunity to start Week 1 with the work he has put in during training camp.
“I think it’s about consistency and opportunity,” McDermott added. “The opportunity that was presented to him, he took advantage of it and was consistent. (He) built a certain level of rapport with (Taylor Rapp), and that’s important at the safety position as well.”
Making a difference off the field since January 2, 2023
Hamlin’s near-death experience inspired him to help others. His charity, the Chasing the M Foundationprovided Free CPR Training During a summer 2023 tour, he donated automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to youth sports organizations. The Bills safety has also raised awareness about commotion cordisa rare heart condition that he attributes to his collapse during “Monday Night Football,” and Met with President Joe Biden at the White House in support of legislation calling for greater access to AEDs in schools.
When the Bills returned to Cincinnati last November for the first time since his cardiac arrest, Hamlin met with the 10 medical professionals who helped him regain consciousness. Hamlin invited members of the UC medical staff to dinner and surprised each of them with a scholarship in his name.