Bills Designate Damar Hamlin For Return; Maxwell Hairston Out For Wild-Card Game
Damar Hamlin has missed much of this season, landing on IR in early October. The Bills, though, could have the veteran safety back for their wild-card matchup against the Jaguars.
Buffalo designated Hamlin for return Wednesday, giving him a chance for activation ahead of the Jacksonville trip. Hamlin has been out since Week 5 with a pectoral injury. The Bills also placed Jordan Phillips on IR, per a team announcement. That move will knock the veteran defensive tackle out for the season. Buffalo also signed cornerback Dane Jackson from the practice squad and signed cornerback Daryl Porter Jr. and quarterback Shane Buechele to the P-squad.
Asked to start in place of Micah Hyde for most of the 2022 season, Hamlin suffered a life-threatening injury in a Week 17 game against the Bengals that ended up being cancelled. Hamlin made an inspirational recovery for 2023, though he played sparingly — in a development that strangely cost him the Comeback Player of the Year award. Last year, however, the Bills turned to Hamlin as a full-time starter. This included starts in all three Buffalo playoff games. The Bills then re-signed him on a one-year, $2MM deal.
That money checks in south of the starter tier, and the Bills turned to Cole Bishop to replace him opening this season. Bishop has teamed with the re-signed Jordan Poyer at safety for most of the season. Poyer has missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury but was a limited participant in Buffalo’s Wednesday practice. The team also has Darnell Savage and Sam Franklin on its roster as insurance. Hamlin would add to that insurance contingent if activated. The Bills are in fine shape for injury activations, holding six entering the wild-card round.
Phillips is out with a foot injury sustained in Week 18. The recurring Bills supporting-caster played in 11 games this season, serving mostly as D-tackle depth during his third Buffalo stint. The Jackson move comes as cornerback Maxwell Hairston has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, per BuffaloBills.com’s Alec White.
Hairston’s injury is a troubling development for the Bills, who have seen cornerback injuries go a long way toward swinging their recent postseason matchups with the Chiefs. Christian Benford missed the 2023 divisional-round game against Kansas City and suffered a concussion on the Ravens’ last-ditch onside-kick attempt to close the 2024 divisional-round matchup with the Ravens. Benford later went out early in last year’s AFC championship game.
Hairston has now suffered an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of the Bills’ blowout win over the Jets. While Benford is healthy, the Bills will be without their first-round pick after playing much of the season without him.
An LCL sprain kept Hairston out for two months; he has since played 56% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps. The Bills will need to lean on Tre’Davious White opposite Benford. Jackson brings a proven backup-level player, albeit one who has been on the practice squad this season and only saw action in three regular-season games. Hairston is not on IR, keeping him in play for a possible divisional-round game. But it is obviously not a good sign when a player is ruled out the Wednesday before a game.
Bills To Place T.J. Sanders, Damar Hamlin On IR
The Bills will place defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and safety Damar Hamlin on injured reserve, head coach Sean McDermott announced (via Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic). Sanders will undergo knee surgery, while Hamlin is dealing with a pectoral injury. Both players will miss at least four games. It’s more likely that Sanders will return than Hamlin this year, McDermott said.
The Bills moved up in last spring’s draft to grab Sanders with the 41st overall pick. The former South Carolina standout has gotten off to a slow start in the NFL. Over four games and 111 defensive snaps, Sanders has picked up two tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks his performance 115th among 120 qualifying defensive tackles.
Although Sanders has struggled in the early going, losing him is an unwelcome hit to the Bills’ depth. They’ve already gone without their best defensive tackle, Ed Oliver, in every game since his tremendous Week 1 effort in a win over the Ravens. Oliver has been down with an ankle injury over the past few weeks, but he could return against the Falcons on Monday night.
If Oliver comes back this week, he’ll comprise the Bills’ top two at DT alongside DaQuan Jones. Rookie fourth-rounder Deone Walker, who has played well, is also in the mix. The Bills have Zion Logue, Jordan Phillips, and Phidarian Mathis on their practice squad. Offseason free agent addition Larry Ogunjobi will be eligible to return from a six-game PED suspension after Buffalo’s Week 7 bye.
Logue has already received three standard gameday elevations this year, meaning the Bills will have to sign him to their active roster if they want to bring him back for a fourth game. Phillips and Mathis have gotten one call-up apiece, and the former is a candidate for a permanent roster spot in the wake of Sanders’ injury, according to Buscaglia.
Hamlin was a 14-game starter who logged 98% of defensive snaps in 2024, leading the Bills to re-sign him to a one-year, $2MM deal in the offseason. His playing time has significantly decreased this year, though. Hamlin has taken a backseat to second-year safety Cole Bishop and worked on a mere 4.2% of defensive snaps. It’s possible that the Bills will add former All-Pro and current practice squad safety Jordan Poyer to their roster to take Hamlin’s place, Buscaglia reports.
Poyer, now 34, was consistently one of Buffalo’s most valuable defenders during his previous stint with them from 2017-23. After the Bills released him in March 2024, Poyer hooked on with the division-rival Dolphins and made 16 starts for them last season. On the heels of his second straight interception-less year, Poyer went without a deal until the Bills signed him to their practice squad in late August. A month and a half later, Poyer may be on his way back to their active roster.
Bills’ Damar Hamlin Addresses Free Agent Interest; Latest On S’s Contract
Damar Hamlin operated as a full-time starter again in 2024, and as a result he had the opportunity to take a notable free agent deal with an outside team this offseason. Instead, the four-year veteran safety elected to remain with the Bills on a one-year pact.
Hamlin managed to recover in full from the cardiac arrest which ended his 2022 season, making 14 appearances last year. He recorded the first two interceptions of his career while adding 89 tackles as a key member of Buffalo’s secondary, and a notable defensive workload could be in play for 2025 as well. Hamlin did generate a market outside of Buffalo based on his 2024 performance, though.
“We had a lot of conversations and a lot of interest, which was pretty cool,” the 27-year-old said (via Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith). “I’m coming from not knowing if I’d be able to play football again, so to know I had what it took, go after that and chase it, go out there and for teams to respect my body of work after going through so much, I was appreciative of everything.”
The negotiating period allowed for Hamlin’s agent to speak with outside teams, but on the morning of March 12 – hours before the start of the new league year – his new Bills pact was already in place. The former sixth-rounder received $2MM, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. That represents more than double the annual average rate of his rookie contract, but it hardly guarantees a starting spot for 2025.
Cole Bishop, selected in the second round last year, could step into a larger workload next year alongside veteran Taylor Rapp. Bishop handled a defensive snap share of 34% as a rookie, and taking on more duties in that regard could come at the expensive of Hamlin’s playing time. In any case, the latter is set to remain in Buffalo for 2025; he hopes for that continue well beyond next year.
“It feels amazing to be back,” the Hamlin added. “This is home, this is all I know as a pro. I’m connected to this place on a totally different level. So this is the place I want to be, where I want to spend my whole career if I can.”
Bills To Bring Back S Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin became a regular starter for the Bills again in 2024, moving back to the lineup after his injury rehab largely took him off the field in 2023. Despite Hamlin’s rookie contract expiring, the inspirational figure is staying in Buffalo.
The Bills announced they re-signed Hamlin to a one-year deal Wednesday morning. This will keep an experienced player in the fold alongside Taylor Rapp and second-rounder Cole Bishop.
Only used on 17 defensive plays in 2023, Hamlin won a starting safety job last season — after the Bills disbanded their seven-year Micah Hyde–Jordan Poyer safety partnership. Hamlin started all 14 games he played in 2024 and logged a 98% snap share, which checked in beyond his usage rate from 2022. Hamlin, 27 later this month, notched his first two career interceptions last season.
Set to hold a place in NFL history thanks to his recovery from the chest injury that caused cardiac arrest in Cincinnati, Hamlin held an uncertain place with the Bills after his comeback. The former fifth-round pick entered the Bills’ 2024 training camp on the roster bubble, as the team had drafted Bishop highly and signed Mike Edwards. Hamlin, however, beat out both to start alongside Rapp. The Pitt alum made 89 tackles and broke up five passes last season.
Bishop figures to be a threat to Hamlin’s starting position this year, as the Bills chose the Utah product 60th overall. Bishop played on 34% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps last season, starting four games. Pro Football Focus also ranked Hamlin 85th among safety regulars in 2024. The Bills also have versatile backup Cam Lewis rostered entering free agency. Rapp is signed for one more season.
Regardless of Hamlin’s path back to a starting role, his journey back from the near-death scene — one that prompted the first canceled NFL game in decades and prompted the league to devise a contingency plan in case a three-loss Bills team advanced to the AFC championship game that year — will make him a revered figure in Buffalo. If nothing else, Hamlin, who had started 13 games in place of Hyde in 2022, brings plenty of experience as a potential depth player — in the event Bishop takes a step into the starting lineup.
Bills Name Damar Hamlin Week 1 Starting S
Less than two years after going into cardiac arrest during a January 2023 game against the Bengals, Damar Hamlin will start at safety for the Bills in Week 1, according to Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic. This will be Hamlin’s first start since the on-field emergency.
Sean McDermott made the announcement Wednesday, praising Hamlin’s “consistency and opportunity” throughout training camp. In a contract year, Hamlin played his way off Buffalo’s roster bubble.
Hamlin’s well-publicized 2023 recovery did not lead to a prominent role last season. He spent the campaign buried on the depth chart, as Buffalo carefully managed his recovery and workload following the on-field scare. Hamlin only played in five games with just 17 total snaps on defense but seized his chance to earn a starting job after the Bills parted ways with its long-running Jordan Poyer–Micah Hyde safety duo this offseason.
“It’s one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It’s another thing to come back off of what he came back off of,” McDermott said. “Let alone just to decide to play football, contact football in full pads at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything more. It’s incredible.”
Hamlin faced plenty of competition for the chance to start alongside Taylor Rapp, who signed a three-year extension in March. The Bills then added Mike Edwards in free agency before drafting Utah’s Cole Bishop with the 60th overall pick of the 2024 draft. Hamlin (hamstring), Edwards (hamstring), and Bishop (shoulder) all struggled with injuries during training camp, limiting their ability to develop chemistry with the rest of the first-team defense. Bishop managed his first full practice since July 30 on Wednesday.
According to McDermott, Hamlin’s ability to build “a certain level of rapport” with Rapp was a crucial factor in earning the starting job. “That’s important as well at the safety position,” McDermott added. Hamlin may not remain the Bills’ starter once their safety room returns to full strength. Both Edwards and Bishop have returned as full participants in practice this week and could eat into Hamlin’s playing time once they are back up to speed. For now, however, Hamlin (14 starts in 2022, counting the game cancelled after his collapse) will make the leap back to first-string duty.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Godchaux, Fins, Bills
Aaron Rodgers made a surprising push to come back from a September Achilles surgery last season. That predictably ended without the Jets quarterback suiting up again. Robert Saleh is now planning to keep his starter on ice until the games count again. The fourth-year Jets HC said he does not expect Rodgers to play during the preseason, though he noted (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he is still deciding with regards to his QB’s participation in the team’s preseason finale. Rodgers sat out the first two Jets preseason games last year but received some work — after pushing Saleh for a chance to suit up, despite not having previously played in the preseason since 2018 — in the third contest. Teams generally park their starters for the third preseason game, and while it would be interesting to see how Rodgers looks post-surgery, it currently appears Week 1 will be his first appearance.
Here is the latest from the AFC East:
- Haason Reddick‘s holdout has become much costlier. In addition to the $50K-per-day fines the recently acquired Jets pass rusher is accumulating, a $300K penalty is expected to come his way due to a CBA wrinkle. As veteran NFL reporter Josina Anderson points out, Reddick can be fined up to 15% of his signing bonus. The Jets are not obligated to go after that money but could. They will levy the fines, Saleh assumes (via SNY’s Connor Hughes). A report last week suggested the sides were moving closer to ending this holdout, but it persists.
- Joining Matt Judon as a contract-seeking Patriots defender, Davon Godchaux is not practicing fully. The veteran defensive tackle is protesting his deal by staging what appears to be a partial hold-in, per the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin, who notes Godchaux went through some drills at Pats practice Tuesday. Unlike Judon’s situation, which has escalated, this has not become acrimonious just yet. A 2025 free agent-to-be, Godchaux is tied to a two-year, $20.8MM deal that calls for a $7.15MM base salary. As the Patriots have paid several key players, Godchaux did not participate in minicamp and has angled for what would be his second extension with the team.
- Shaquil Barrett‘s retirement caught his agent and the Dolphins by surprise. Drew Rosenhaus said the veteran edge rusher had been considering it for a while. Barrett, 32, alluded to spending more time with his family. Rosenhaus mentioned the tragedy the two-time Super Bowl winner endured last year, when Barrett’s 2-year-old daughter drowned in the family’s pool, during an interview with WSVN’s Donovan Campbell (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson). While Barrett returned for a final Buccaneers season after that tragedy, he is not planning to play an 11th season. Though, Rosenhaus did not rule out a comeback later this year. The Dolphins circled back to Emmanuel Ogbah in the wake of Barrett’s decision.
- The Dolphins finished last season down several linebackers due to injury. One of them, Cameron Goode, is not expected to be back by Week 1, Jackson adds. The torn patella tendon the 2022 seventh-round pick sustained in Week 17 led him to the Dolphins’ active/PUP list. It would not surprise to see him transferred to the reserve/PUP list, which requires a four-game absence, next month. Goode joined Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Andrew Van Ginkel and Jerome Baker in being out for Miami’s wild-card game last season. Chubb and Phillips remain on Miami’s PUP list.
- The Bills entered camp with three players — Mike Edwards, Damar Hamlin and second-rounder Cole Bishop — competing to start alongside Taylor Rapp, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia notes (subscription required). Rapp spent much of last season behind longtime starters Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer but re-signed as the team went through a spate of cap cuts. Hamlin, who is on Buffalo’s roster bubble figures to see more first-unit time due to recent injuries to Edwards and Bishop. Edwards is week-to-week with a hamstring ailment, per Buscaglia, while Bishop left Tuesday’s practice. These setbacks led the Bills to bring in 36-year-old veteran Kareem Jackson on Tuesday.
S Damar Hamlin On Bills’ Roster Bubble
The 2023 season saw Damar Hamlin win the PFWA’s Comeback Player of the Year award as he succeeded in resuming his NFL career. The Bills safety did not see notable playing time, however, and as such his roster spot is uncertain entering training camp.
Hamlin managed to return to full health from his cardiac arrest in time to be available for the entire 2023 campaign. Both Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde remained atop the depth chart, and as a result Hamlin only logged 17 defensive snaps during the season. That came as no surprise, although he did see a 65% snap share on special teams. Continuing to be a third phase producer would likely be Hamlin’s strongest path to a spot on Buffalo’s 53-man roster.
Poyer was released this offseason, and Hyde’s playing future remains in doubt. Several names are still ahead of Hamlin in the safety pecking order, however, including Taylor Rapp (who was re-signed), free agent addition Mike Edwards and second-round rookie Cole Bishop. For that reason, Ryan O’Halloran of the Buffalo News writes Hamlin will need a strong training camp performance to avoid being cut.
The presence of Cameron Lewis – who has experience both at safety and slot corner – is another factor which could leave Hamlin on the outside looking in. The latter has made 38 combined regular season and playoff appearances, with all of his 13 starts coming in 2022 while filling in for an injured Hyde. One year remains on Hamlin’s rookie contract, and he is set to carry a cap hit of $1.1MM in 2024. Almost all of that figure would translate to cap savings with a release or trade during roster cutdowns.
Hamlin’s cap hit is certainly not prohibitive, but finances have been a central component of each of the Bills’ decisions this offseason. Buffalo currently sits 24th in the NFL in cap space with just over $10MM available. A portion of that would be needed if Hyde elected to play a 12th season in the league and he returned to the Bills. Such a scenario would push Hamlin further down the depth chart this summer, one in which his short-term future will be determined.
Bills To Open Von Miller’s Practice Window
OCTOBER 5: After experiencing no speedbumps during the Bills’ wing of practices in Buffalo ahead of their London game, the future Hall of Famer is making the trip to England, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The Bills have nearly three weeks to activate Miller from the PUP list, but making the trip ahead of the Jaguars matchup represents a good sign of a Week 5 return.
OCTOBER 1: Bills defensive end Von Miller opened the season on the PUP list as he continues to recover from the ACL tear that ended his 2022 campaign prematurely. That meant that Miller would miss at least the first four games of the season but would be eligible to return for Buffalo’s Week 5 contest against the Jaguars next Sunday.
Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills are opening Miller’s practice window, and the future Hall of Famer will resume practicing this week. Once that happens, the club will have three weeks to add him to the 53-man roster, and if they do not do so, he will be ineligible to return this season.
Obviously, the Bills would not open the practice window if they did not believe Miller was close to game-ready (indeed, at the beginning of August, GM Brandon Beane expressed optimism that Miller would suit up for Week 1). However, that does not necessarily mean that Miller will be in the lineup in Week 5. As Schefter notes, Buffalo will continue to be cautious with Miller, and there is not yet a definitive return date.
Now 34, Miller signed a six-year, $120MM contract with the Bills in March 2022. In his first season in western New York, which lasted just 11 games, the eight-time Pro Bowler posted eight sacks and was viewed as one of the league’s best all-around defenders in the eyes of Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. This offseason, Buffalo signed Leonard Floyd as something of a contingency plan, and Floyd has acquitted himself nicely, posting 3.5 sacks through the first three games of 2023.
Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa have also had some success this season, but the return of Miller will nonetheless be a welcome development for a team that has designs on a deep postseason run. The team currently ranks second in the league in terms of total defense, points allowed, and sacks, and Miller’s presence will make an already-imposing unit even more formidable.
In other news, safety Damar Hamlin is making his 2023 debut against the Dolphins today. While Hamlin participated in all three of the Bills’ preseason games, this will mark the third-year pro’s first regular season action since he collaped on the field due to commotio cordis in a Bills-Bengals game in January. Hamlin’s inspiring recovery has now come full circle, and he has taken the place of the injured Jordan Poyer on the active roster.
Damar Hamlin Full Go For Training Camp
Damar Hamlin is close to completing his long-anticipated recovery from the chest injury that induced cardiac arrest. Nearly seven months after that scary scene, the Bills announced the inspirational safety will be 100% as the team starts training camp.
This has been the expectation for a while now. Hamlin did not begin OTAs on time but participated in Buffalo’s minicamp. Sean McDermott said the team will “go at his cadence” regarding the final steps on this journey back to full health. Hamlin began camp work with his teammates Wednesday.
Hamlin, 25, initially received full clearance back in April, making a major stride in his recovery from a hospitalization and breathing through a ventilator in Cincinnati to being back with his teammates in uniform. The collision with Tee Higgins induced commotio cordis, an extremely rare condition that emerges after chest trauma produces waves of electricity that can alter heart rhythm. He has made remarkable strides in the months since.
Training camp will mark another key hurdle for the third-year safety, with the Bills not ticketed to don shoulder pads until August. How Hamlin fares in contact work will be a storyline to follow during Bills camp, but considering how the Pittsburgh alum has responded thus far on his comeback trail, the expectation will be a spot on the team’s 53-man roster and a role in Week 1.
The Bills needed Hamlin to replace Micah Hyde for much of last season, but with Hyde back and Jordan Poyer re-signing in March, Hamlin returning to a backup role appears likely. The Bills also re-signed Dean Marlowe and added ex-Rams starter Taylor Rapp, giving the team one of the better safety depth charts any NFL team has featured in recent memory.
Hamlin practicing in training camp will prevent the Bills from stashing him on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. Two years remain on Hamlin’s rookie contract.
Additionally, the injury Nyheim Hines suffered this week is an ACL tear, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. The Bills placed Hines on their non-football injury list Tuesday. The 2022 trade acquisition was sitting stationary on a jet ski when another rider crashed into him. The NFI placement puts Hines’ $4.1MM base salary up in the air, since the Bills are not obligated to pay the veteran back due to the injury being sustained away from team grounds. Hines’ agent sent out a message calling for the Bills to pay his client (Twitter link).
Bills S Damar Hamlin Participates In Team Drills
Bills safety Damar Hamlin participated in team drills today, the first time he’s seen the field during OTAs and five months after his on-field cardiac incident. The team tweeted a photo of Hamlin, noting that the player was a full participant at practice.
Per NFL.com, Hamlin previously took part in individual drills and stretching exercises. Today, he was seen wearing a helmet and serving as a punt protector during the special teams portion of practice. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg tweets that Hamlin briefly left the field to deal with a arm/shoulder injury but soon returned.
“Really proud of him to take that next step,” general manager Brandon Beane told reporters (including Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News). “Obviously, you guys have seen him out here working out. … Just so proud of him and thrilled for where he’s at in his journey.
“We’re just upping or building his reps up. He’s great. He’s mentally ready to go. He knows the defense. It’s Year 3 into it. The next thing is going to be we’ve got to put pads on, and it’ll be at training camp. But I thought it was really important for him if he could and felt he was ready. You know, this is a two-way communication. This is not us saying, `You’ve got to do this.’ … He’s worked really hard on the mental side of this. Physically, he’s all cleared. But this is a real deal from a mental standpoint after you’ve been to where he was.”
Hamlin has continually stated his desire to continue his NFL career. He was cleared to resume playing back in April, and since then, he’s been spending time at the Bills facility preparing for the upcoming season. As Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic writes, the Bills haven’t given any indication that they plan to use “any reserve listing” for Hamlin, a small hint that the player should be good to go come training camp.
The 25-year-old was thrust into a starting role last year while filling in for Micah Hyde, who missed most of last season with a foot injury. Hamlin ended up finishing the campaign with 91 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 15 games (13 starts), with Pro Football Focus grading him as one of the league’s top pass-rushing safeties. With Hyde back and Jordan Poyer signed to a new deal, the Bills have the luxury of bringing Hamlin along slowly.