Damar Hamlin is apparently set to make his season debut, roughly nine months after his terrifying on-field collapse late last season.
Hamlin is expected to play for the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in their game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium, according to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The report came shortly after the Bills ruled out safety Jordan Poyer, who is dealing with a knee injury, from the matchup.
With the #Bills ruling out S Jordan Poyer, the expectation is that Damar Hamlin makes his season debut vs the #Dolphins, sources say.
This spring, Hamlin told reporters, “My heart is still in the game. I love the game.”On Sunday, he’s set to be back doing it. pic.twitter.com/5LzNm5EeXz
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2023
Hamlin has been inactive for the Bills’ first three games of the season, but has been considered a healthy scratch. If he does in fact take the field on Sunday afternoon, his remarkable comeback will be officially complete.
Hamlin experienced cardiac arrest on the field during the Bills’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals last season after he took a hit to the chest. He was resuscitated on the field and transported to a local hospital. The game was suspended.
Hamlin was later transported to a hospital in Buffalo, and . He against the Bengals later that month, too. Hamlin was fully cleared by doctors and . He played in all three of their preseason games, and has been waiting to make his debut .
Hamlin had 91 total tackles last season with the Bills, who selected him in the sixth round of the draft in 2021 out of Pittsburgh. The 25-year-old is in the third year of his initial four-year, $3.6 million deal.
The Bills are coming off a dominant 37-3 win over the Washington Commanders last week. Poyer went down in that game, and missed practice all week due to the knee injury. Safeties Taylor Rapp and Micah Hyde are expected to help fill in for Poyer — who has 14 tackles so far this season — along with Hamlin on Sunday. The Dolphins, who rolled over the Denver Broncos in a historic 70-20 win, have lost 11 of their last 13 games against the Bills.
