It’s exceedingly rare that a seldom-used role player garners this much attention. With Damar Hamlin, it’s warranted. Hamlin is the paradigm for overcoming adversity. He went from having his life in the balance to returning to an active NFL roster.
Will Hamlin be on the field when the Buffalo Bills take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon?
Damar Hamlin’s Playing Status Ahead of Steelers Game
Update 01/15/2024: Hamlin is officially active for the Bills playoff game against the Steelers.
Mike Tomlin catching up with Damar Hamlin #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/9yFsB5TcuP
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 15, 2024
The best news in the case of Damar Hamlin is that, so far, he’s experienced no long-term effects from his terrifying cardiovascular issue in Week 17 of the 2022 NFL season. Regardless of his game status, he has already won.
Although Hamlin has been on the Bills’ active roster the entire season, he’s only suited up for five games. Hamlin’s story is an incredible one, but the NFL remains a harsh business. Unfortunately, Hamlin isn’t viewed as a key defensive player.
When active, Hamlin has primarily played special teams. In two of his five games played, he didn’t see a single defensive snap. Overall, Hamlin has only played 17 snaps on defense all season.
While Hamlin remains the favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year, his victory would be the NFL honoring his perseverance to return from a health issue that easily could have ended his career. It won’t be because of his on-field performance. That’s not to say Hamlin has been a bad player — he just hasn’t played.
It would be awesome to see Hamlin get a chance to experience the postseason, especially because he missed both of the Bills’ playoff games last year (he did play in their two games the year prior, though). However, recent trends suggest Hamlin is unlikely to be active when the Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round on Sunday.
On the Bills’ team depth chart, Hamlin is listed as the fifth-string safety. It’s just unlikely the Bills will activate nine defensive backs for a single game.
Perhaps one of the backups listed ahead of Hamlin won’t end up playing, but it seems likely Hamlin will once again find his name listed amongst the inactives.
Regardless of whether Hamlin plays, he’s one of the best humans to ever grace the NFL. Hamlin’s Chasing M’s Foundation continues to be a bastion of good.
The NFL even recognized all the charitable work Hamlin has done off the field by naming him Week 18 NFLPA Community MVP.
Whether active or not, Hamlin is a true inspiration and a great example that kids can look up to.
KEEP READING: Damar Hamlin Wins PFN’s Comeback Player of the Year
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
