Hamlin (pectoral) wasn't activated from injured reserve Friday, ruling him out for Saturday's divisional-round game against the Broncos.
Hamlin was designated for return from injured reserve nine days ago and logged a trio of full practices this week. However, it wasn't enough for the Bills to activate him ahead of Saturday's playoff contest. With Jordan Poyer (hamstring) ruled out against Denver, the Bills will be down to Cole Bishop, Sam Franklin, Jordan Hancock, Cam Lewis and Darnell Savage as options at safety.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Another full practice Thursday
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Hamlin (pectoral) will practice in full Thursday and is listed as questionable for Saturday's divisional-round matchup against the Broncos, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.
Hamlin has now logged three consecutive full practice sessions, suggesting he could return for Saturday's playoff matchup. However, the 27-year-old must still be activated from injured reserve in order to suit up for the divisional round. If Hamlin returns from his 13-game absence Saturday, he'll likely operate as one of the Bills' backup safeties while contributing on special teams.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Logs full practice Tuesday
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Hamlin (pectoral) was a full participant during Tuesday's walkthrough practice.
Hamlin progressed enough in his recovery from a pectoral injury to return to practice this past Wednesday. He was unable to play in Sunday's wild-card round win against the Jaguars, but if he can continue to log full practices, he would have a chance at being activated from injured reserve ahead of Saturday's playoff game against the Broncos. If Hamlin is available, then he would likely contribute on special teams while serving in a depth role in the secondary.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Won't return to face Jags
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Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Friday that Hamlin (pectoral) will not come off IR in time for Sunday's wild-card round matchup against Jacksonville, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Hamlin had his 21-day practice window opened Wednesday and has since logged back-to-back limited sessions, but Buffalo will need to advance beyond the wild-card round of the AFC playoffs for the veteran safety to have a chance to retake the field. If Hamlin does return to action later in the postseason, he will stand to handle a depth role in the Bills' secondary.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Placed on IR
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The Bills placed on Hamlin (pectoral) on injured reserve Saturday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Hamlin will be forced to miss at least four games, and it's currently unclear when he suffered the injury. The 27-year-old has seen limited action across his first five outings of the season, recording just one solo tackle while playing mainly on special teams.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Staying with Buffalo
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The Bills will sign Hamlin to a one-year contract, Alec White of the team's official site reports.
After starting 14 games for Buffalo in 2024 and totaling 89 tackles (62 solo) and two interceptions, Hamlin will be back for at least one more season. He currently projects to start in 2025, but the Bills could add talent at safety either later on in free agency or in the draft in April.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Starting in wild-card round
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Head coach Sean McDermott confirmed Monday that Hamlin will return to his starting safety spot in Sunday's wild-card matchup against the Broncos, Chris Brown of the Bills Radio Network reports.
Hamlin returned from a ribs injury in the Bills' Week 18 loss to the Patriots, playing 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps and recording six total tackles. There were questions about whether the 26-year-old would be ready for the playoffs after missing three games leading up to Week 18, but McDermott's comments Monday clarified that Hamlin is ready. Expect Hamlin to start alongside Taylor Rapp as part of Buffalo's top safety duo Sunday.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Won't play against Jets
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Hamlin (ribs) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Jets.
Hamlin was a limited participant in practice all week, but he will be sidelined for a third straight game due to a rib injury he suffered in the lead-up to the Bills' Week 15 game against the Lions. With Lewis Cine (coach's decision) also inactive for Sunday's AFC East clash, Cole Bishop will serve as the Bills' starting free safety alongside strong safety Taylor Rapp due to Hamlin's injury.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Limited participant Friday
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Hamlin (ribs) will be limited in Friday's practice and is questionable for this weekend's matchup against the Patriots, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.
Hamlin missed out on last week's win over Detroit with a back injury, but he's now questionable for Sunday's outing against New England with a ribs injury. The fourth-year safety has missed only one game this campaign, establishing himself as a regular starter for Buffalo's defense. He's now logged 83 tackles (58 solo), two interceptions and one fumble recovery across 13 games this season.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Out Sunday
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Hamlin (back) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Lions.
The starting safety practiced in full Wednesday before missing Thursday's session. Hamlin has 83 tackles (58 solo), five pass breakups, including two interceptions, and a fumble recovery on the year. With Hamlin and Taylor Rapp (neck/shoulder) both out, Kareem Jackson and Cole Bishop are the next men up at safety for the Bills on Sunday.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: First career INT on Monday
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Hamlin tallied five tackles (three solo), two passes defended and one interception in Monday's 47-10 win over Jacksonville.
Hamlin recorded the first interception of his career Monday, as he picked off a Trevor Lawrence pass intended for Brian Thomas in the second quarter, which led to a 27-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to Khalil Shakir five plays later. Even in a blowout, Hamlin managed to play 100 percent of the Bills' defensive snaps for the second time this year. Through three games this season, the 2021 sixth-round pick has accrued 19 tackles (13 solo), two passes defended and one interception.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Leads team in tackles Thursday
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Hamlin tallied 10 tackles (eight solo) during Thursday's 31-10 win over Miami.
Hamlin played 92 percent of Buffalo's defensive snaps during Thursday's divisional win after handling 100 percent of snaps Week 1. The 26-year-old is solidified as an every-down starter in Buffalo's secondary, though his tackle totals won't always be boosted by such a run-heavy offense as the Dolphins fielded to close out Thursday's game. Hamlin will be on the fantasy radar in deeper IDP formats heading into a Week 3 matchup against Jacksonville.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Set for season debut
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Hamlin is on the active roster for Sunday's home matchup against Tennessee.
Hamlin has yet to play a snap in the NFL since last season's near-tragic cardiac incident that caused the postponement of a game and put his playing future in jeopardy. He's since been cleared to practice and play in full, and he will now get his chance to once again see live game action. This is partially due to team need for depth in the secondary, as fellow safety Jordan Poyer (knee) is inactive for the contest. Hamlin was a meaningful contributor during his rookie season in 2022 prior to the incident, and at one point had three consecutive games with double-digit tackles, so the potential is there for him to become a fantasy contributor, even if it's only in the short term.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Important milestone
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Hamlin participated in a full contact practice Monday for the first time since suffering cardiac arrest Jan. 2, Alec White of the Bills' official site reports."I'm just thankful," Hamlin said. "I'm just blessed to be able to do what I wanted to do as a kid again, at the highest level, after going through such a traumatic situation. To be able to come out here and compete again at the highest level in the world. That's such a blessing."
Hamlin has come all the way back from his life-threatening cardiac incident and is now able to sport full pads while tackling and doing everything else associated with full contact. While his return is inspiring, it's not clear where he fits in a deep Bills secondary now that star safety Micah Hyde is also healthy. This will be an important camp and preseason for Hamlin as he tries to lock down a meaningful reserve role on Buffalo's Week 1 roster.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Full participant Tuesday
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Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a Jan. 2 game versus the Bengals, was a full participant at practice Tuesday.
Hamlin got fully cleared for football activities in mid-April, but Tuesday was the first time the safety was a full participant in a practice since his scary departure in Week 16 last year. The 2021 sixth-round pick's recovery has been remarkable, but he now finds himself battling for a roster spot in a secondary that features Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who are both healthy after missing extended time last year due to injuries.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: More good news
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Hamlin was discharged from a Buffalo-area hospital Tuesday and will be allowed to continue his recovery from home, the Bills' official site reports.
This is simply the best possible outcome for Hamlin, the Bills and pretty much the entire football world after what happened on the field just over a week ago. While Hamlin was placed on IR three days ago, we wouldn't be surprised if he's able to at least be around his teammates at some point during the Bills' playoff march, which begins Sunday against Miami. We should know in a few months whether Hamlin will be allowed to resume his football career.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Placed on IR
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The Bills placed Hamlin on injured reserve Friday.
The roster move officially ends Hamlin's season, but more importantly, the reports regarding the 24-year-old safety's recovery from the cardiac incident he suffered in Monday's game against the Bengals -- which has since been postponed -- have been increasingly positive in recent days. The Bills announced earlier Friday that Hamlin, who remains in intensive care at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, had his breathing tube removed overnight and has since resumed speaking with his family and doctors, as well as with his teammates virtually. Hamlin's care team has also noted that his neurological function remains intact, but at this stage, his physicians have said that it's too early in his recovery process to know whether he'll be able to resume his football career.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Condition continuing to improve
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The Bills announced in a statement released Thursday that Hamlin has shown "remarkable improvement" in his recovery from the cardiac incident he suffered in Monday's game against the Bengals and "is making steady progress."
Though the statement notes that Hamlin is still considered "critically ill," the 24-year-old safety's lungs are continuing to heal, and he "has demonstrated that he appears to be neurologically intact."
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Signs of improvement noted
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Hamlin remains in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in critical condition with signs of improvement noted Tuesday and overnight, according to an official statement from the Bills released Wednesday.
Per the team's statement, the 24-year-old safety, who suffered from cardiac arrest following a hit during Monday's game versus the Bengals, is expected to remain in the ICU as his health care team continues to monitor and treat him.
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Bills' Damar Hamlin: Taken off in ambulance
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Hamlin was tended to on the field by medical personnel before being loaded into an ambulance during Monday's game against Cincinnati, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports
Hamlin went down after sustaining a hit to the head and neck area in the first quarter, and he was immediately tended to on the field by members of both teams' medical staff. He was then given CPR by emergency medical personnel before being loaded into an ambulance via stretcher, according to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network.
