Bills’ Damar Hamlin expected to make season debut against Dolphins: report

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is expected to be active for the first time this season nearly nine months after suffering cardiac arrest on the field during “Monday Night Football.”

Hamlin is expected to make his season debut against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, according to NFL Network. 

Bills starting safety Jordan Poyer has been ruled out with a knee injury, opening up a spot on the roster for Hamlin. 

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Against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2nd, Hamlin collapsed on the turf following his tackle on Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins and was administered CPR before an ambulance rushed him to the hospital.

He was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center nearly one week later before heading to another hospital in Buffalo.

Hamlin told reporters he had suffered commotio cordis on the tackle. 

“The diagnosis of what happened to me was basically commotio cordis. It’s a direct blow at a specific point in your heartbeat that causes cardiac arrest,” Hamlin told reporters after he had been cleared for football activities. 

“And five to seven seconds later, you fall out. . . . Commotio cordis is the leading cause of death in youth athletes across all sports. So, that’s something that I personally will be taking a step in to make a change. Also, with that being said, all of the awareness around CPR and access to AEDs have been lowering that number as well.” 

Hamlin was cleared for football activities in mid-April and appeared in all three Bills preseason games. He totaled 73 defensive snaps and 19 plays on special teams during the preseason. 

The Bills have won back-to-back games after blowing a lead against the New York Jets in Week 1. 

Miami is one of the hottest teams in the NFL, starting the year 3-0 and putting up 70 points against the Denver Broncos in Week 3.