Bills safety Damar Hamlin will take in the action from the sideline in the “Monday Night Football” season opener against the Jets.
The 25-year-old, who suffered cardiac arrest on the field in January, is expected to be a “healthy inactive,” according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Hamlin, a backup in the Bills’ secondary, could make his 2023 season debut in the coming weeks.
Backup cornerback Cam Lewis is expected to fill the position in the Bills secondary, Garafolo reported.
“There are no issues and he feels great after being the Bills’ 2nd leading tackler during the preseason,” former quarterback and ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III wrote on Twitter (formerly X), citing sources close to the situation.
“Bills are prioritizing playing it safe with Damar for now.”
Lewis, 26, was limited in the preseason due to injuries.
He was a key piece on special teams last season across 13 games.
Hamlin returned to the field in the Bills’ preseason win over the visiting Indianapolis Colts at Highmark Stadium in August.
He played 24 snaps and recorded three tackles.
Hamlin returned to the Bills as a full-time participant in practice in June — five-plus months after Buffalo’s medical staff revived the safety after he suffered cardiac arrest in the first quarter of a game against the Bengals.
The game was canceled due to the medical emergency, and Hamlin spent a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he was in critical condition and on a ventilator.
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