Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin made his 2023 NFL debut on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, returning to the field in an official game for the first time since he went into cardiac arrest last season.
On January 2, 2023, Hamlin collapsed on the field during a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills’ safety collided with Bengals’ wide receiver Tee Higgins, with Higgins’ helmet hitting Hamlin’s chest directly.
- Damar Hamlin stats (career): 65 solo tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 pass deflections in 39 games
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Within seconds, Hamlin was on the ground and went into cardiac arrest. He remained motionless at midfield for more than 10 minutes as EMTs performed life-saving measures on him during ESPN’s broadcast. Hamlin was eventually hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and reported in critical condition.
The 25-year-old safety has been working his way back ever since. Doctors cleared him to play this spring and he played a reserve role for the Bills during the preseason. However, Hamlin had been a health scratch through the first three weeks of the season.
With Bills’ safety Jordan Poyer missing Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo needed more depth at safety. Just as he did last season, Hamlin filled in on the Bills’ defense at safety and took the field in front of a raucous crowd at Highmark Stadium on Sunday afternoon
When injuries struck the Bills’ secondary last season. In his second year, the former sixth-round pick proved to be a fairly effective role player. Pro Football Focus gave him a 61.4 PFF grade during the regular season, with a 74.6 pass-rush grade. Notably, though, Hamlin struggled in coverage with an average 133.3 quarterback rating and 11.3 yards per reception allowed in 518 coverage snaps.
It’s the final step in a story that everyone around football has been rooting for. Just months after Hamlin nearly died on an NFL field, he and Higgins were able to hang out. Hamlin has also used his new platform to help others, meeting with President Joe Biden in March to help address the defibrillator shortage.
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Of course, none of this happens without the trainers, medical staff and doctors who helped save Hamlin’s life in January and provided him with needed support at every step of his recovery. While Hamlin might return to being a healthy inactive once Poyer is healthy, just getting back on an NFL field after so many feared the worst in January is a remarkable story of overcoming odds and achieving success in the face of adversity.
