The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets will wrap up Week 1 in the NFL when these two AFC East rivals square up on "Monday Night Football" from MetLife Stadium. While the main storyline of this game is centered around two conference heavyweights going toe-to-toe and the regular season debut of Aaron Rodgers with the Jets, there is also the worthwhile side story of Damar Hamlin.
There was the potential that the safety could make his regular-season return to the field in this game after suffering cardiac arrest during a later canceled "Monday Night Football" matchup in Week 17 last season against the Bengals. However, we will have to wait a bit longer to see No. 3 take the field in Buffalo's secondary. Hamlin is officially a healthy inactive Monday night due to a numbers crunch in the defensive backfield.
Hamlin, a sixth-round pick of the Bills in 2021 out of Pitt, was able to make Buffalo's opening 53-man roster. Throughout camp, the 25-year-old has been working as a depth piece at safety while also playing on special teams. He did appear in the Bills preseason opener against the Colts, marking the first time he was dressed and played in a game since suffering cardiac arrest back in early January. In that exhibition, Hamlin totaled three tackles.
Instead of making Hamlin active in Week 1, the Bills are reportedly opting for veteran Cam Lewis. The 26-year-old defensive back will be a depth piece for Buffalo's secondary and play on special teams. In 13 games played last season, Lewis totaled 21 tackles. He played 12% of the defensive snaps for the year and 51% of the special teams snaps.
