Former Pitt and current Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlins is set to play in his first game of the 2023 season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl safety Jordan Poyer is out for their matchup on Sunday, Oct. 1 at 1 p.m. at home with a knee injury. Poyer didn’t practice Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of this week, bringing back Hamlin into the fold.
Despite being on the Bills 53-man roster for this season, Hamlin has been a “healthy inactive” for the first three games of the season and hasn’t played so far.
He did play in the preseason, recording three tackles in the loss against his hometown Pittsburgh Steelers. Hamlin also made three tackles against the Indianapolis Colts in the first game and then four tackles against the Chicago Bears in the final preseason game.
Hamlin stepped up last season for the Bills, with safety Micah Hyde out for most of the season. He recorded 91 tackles (63 solo), six tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble in 15 games last — starting every game in the Bills’ secondary from Week 3 onward.
In a Week 17 Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest. He has made a comeback from an almost near death experience on the field just seven months ago to now coming back and playing full-time.
Hamlin also raised millions for his charity, Chasing M’s, which he created to help bring money in for children for McKees Rocks. He received the 2023 NFLPA Alan Page Community Award for his charity work, as well as the George Halas Award, for the player who overcame the most adversity.
In five seasons at Pitt, he recorded 275 tackles (185 solo), 10 tackles for loss, six interceptions, 21 pass breakups and a fumble recovery. He earned Second Team All-ACC honors in 2020 as a redshirt senior, as he made 66 tackles, 38 solo, 3.5 tackles for loss, seven passes defended and two interceptions.
