Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin to make first start since cardiac arrest in 2023

Bills safety Damar Hamlin will start for the team in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo announced Wednesday.

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It will be his first start since suffering a cardiac arrest on the field in January 2023.

“What else can’t this young man do? He basically went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about that over and over, and to come back from that,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday. “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, right? Let alone just to decide to play football and contact football in full pads at the NFL level. I don’t think I need to say anything more. It’s incredible.”

Hamlin had an episode of commotio cordis during the Bills’ Week 17 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, 2023, a condition during which the heart’s rhythm is disrupted after a blow to the chest. After making a tackle on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, Hamlin stood up, passed out and fell backward. His heartbeat had to be restored on the field before he was taken to a hospital.

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Damar Hamlin returns to field where he suffered cardiac arrest

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Hamlin was cleared to play football in April 2023.

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Last season, he appeared in three preseason games and five regular games for the Bills, recording two tackles. During Buffalo’s Divisional Round playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hamlin took a direct snap on a fake punt attempt in the fourth quarter, but he failed to convert for a first-down.

The Bills underwent significant changes in the secondary this offseason. Their previous starting safety duo of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer was broken up, as Hyde is a free agent while Poyer signed with the Miami Dolphins.