Damar Hamlin makes Bills’ 53-man roster – almost eight months on from cardiac arrest vs. the Bengals

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made the cut on the NFL’s version of doomsday.

Nearly eight months after a near-death experience during a game in Cincinnati, Hamlin’s fearless effort to resume his football career neared completion on Tuesday when he joined the team after the Bills trimmed their roster to 53 players.

While general manager Brandon Beane has stressed that roster changes could still be made before the Bills open their season with the New York Jets on September 11, there’s no denying that Hamlin has shown courage in reaching this milestone of his comeback by claiming a backup role. behind starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.

What began as a national theme of “Prayers For Hamlin” has turned into praise for Hamlin, who pushed aside the signs of fear every step of his recovery.

It’s a journey that has taken the 25-year-old from being put into a medically induced coma after going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the pitch, to returning to the turf to take hits at full speed during practice and out. to share. and three preseason games in one of North America’s most violent professional sports.

“I made the choice that I wanted to play, you know, it was none other’s choice but mine,” Hamlin said of his approach after a three-tackling performance in Buffalo’s opening preseason win against Indianapolis, three weeks long. past.

“So when you see my cleats strapped and my helmet and shoulder pads on, there won’t be any hesitation.”

A week later, in his hometown of Pittsburgh, Hamlin was selected to take the field as captain for the coin toss before the Bills’ game against the Steelers.

“It was very special, a moment of serendipity, as if life came full circle for me,” he said after the game, which ended with three more tackles. “It’s just something indescribable.”

Overall, Hamlin finished the preseason with nine solo tackles and one assist, while playing 80 defensive snaps and 19 more on special teams.

Coach Sean McDermott almost certainly assured Hamlin’s place on the roster two weeks ago by saying the player had little left to prove.

“From my non-medical point of view, I think he’s ticked all the boxes on that,” McDermott said. “There’s been just enough of a monster that you say was executed well and came out healthy.”

The question now is how much more playing time he will get when he returns to a backup role. Hamlin’s extensive playing experience in his second NFL season last year—he had 13 starts—was a result of him filling in after Hyde suffered a season-ending neck injury.

However little or much playing time he sees against the Jets, Hamlin’s recovery will come full circle in primetime. He was injured during a Monday night broadcast, and the bills opened Monday night in what should be an emotionally charged setting in honor of September 11’s 22nd anniversary.

Hamlin has approached every step of his recovery — from his release from the hospital on Jan. 11 to the news that doctors cleared him to resume practice at the end of April to his first quilted practice on July 31 — by focusing on one moment at a time. .

Looking too far ahead, he said, would be emotionally overwhelming. At the same time, Hamlin is also not one to look back while dealing with the nationwide attention he attracted.

“Honestly, I’d like to do this whole process under a rock, get myself together and then pop out again when I’m feeling my best,” Hamlin once said. “But I think there is power in going through a process in front of everyone. It shows vulnerability and strength, shows perseverance, and those are things I like to stand for.’