BUFFALO, N.Y. — An upbeat Damar Hamlin said Tuesday he is “not home quite just yet,” as the Bills’ safety spent his second day in a Buffalo hospital undergoing a series of tests to determine why he went into cardiac arrest on the field last week and when he can be discharged.
“Special thank-you to Buffalo General it’s been nothing but love since arrival!” Hamlin added in his Twitter post, while asking his followers to keep him in their prayers.
Buffalo General Medical Center issued a news release saying Hamlin was in good spirits and was joined by his parents, Mario and Nina Hamlin, as well as his younger brother, Damir.
The hospital said its team of doctors was “tasked with identifying any possible causes of the event, potentially treat any pathology that may be found, as well as plan for his recovery, discharge and rehabilitation.”
Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated after being struck in the chest by Bengals receiver Tee Higgins while making what appeared to be a routine tackle during the first quarter of Buffalo’s since-canceled game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2. The 24-year-old from McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh exurb, spent a week at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he experienced what doctors are calling “a remarkable recovery.”
Able to breathe on his own as well as walk and talk, Hamlin was transferred to Buffalo on Monday for the next step of his treatment and recovery, while also being closer to home and his teammates. He is listed in stable condition.
Bills Coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane were among the first to visit Hamlin upon his return to Buffalo.
COMMANDERS: The Washington Commanders fired offensive coordinator Scott Turner after the unit underperformed and contributed to the team missing the playoffs.
The Commanders went 8-8-1 and ranked 20th in the NFL in offense, 21st in passing and 24th in scoring.
The son of longtime coach and coordinator Norv Turner spent the past three years running Washington’s offense after joining Coach Ron Rivera from Carolina, where they worked together before a midseason coaching change.
While using eight starting quarterbacks during Turner’s tenure, Washington’s offense rarely got the ball moving consistently, especially in the passing game. The team had the league’s third-worst offense in 2020 and ranked 21st overall in 2021.
CHARGERS: Rashawn Slater will return to practice this week, but will not play in Saturday night’s AFC wild-card matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The second-year offensive tackle can practice for the next 21 days and can be activated at any point after the Chargers designated him for return off injured reserve.
Slater suffered a ruptured left biceps during the third quarter of Los Angeles’ 38-10 loss to Jacksonville on Sept. 25.
PANTHERS: The Panthers have requested permission to interview four NFL offensive coordinators for their head coaching vacancy, including Buffalo’s Ken Dorsey, Philadelphia’s Shane Steichen, Detroit’s Ben Johnson and the New York Giants’ Mike Kafka, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The team also conducted an interview with former Indianapolis Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell on Monday.
Panthers owner David Tepper is exploring his options while determining whether to promote interim head coach Steve Wilks to the full-time coach or hire from outside the organization.
Wilks finished 6-6 as the team’s interim head coach and is expected to meet with Tepper this week for his own interview.
BEARS: GM Ryan Poles said he expects Justin Fields to be the team’s starting quarterback next season and just about slammed the door on drafting one with the No. 1 overall pick.
Poles left it slightly ajar, saying he would have to be “blown away” to take a passer.
Quarterbacks such as Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis are among the top prospects available in the draft.
EAGLES: Jalen Hurts can only hope an extra week off will help his sore right shoulder.
The Pro Bowl quarterback returned on Sunday to lead the Philadelphia Eagles (14-3) to a win over the New York Giants after he missed two weeks with a sprained right shoulder. The victory gave the Eagles the top seed in the NFC, home-field advantage in the playoffs and a bye this weekend.
The Eagles used a conservative game plan with Hurts and didn’t ask the dynamic QB to do much that would put him at risk of taking a serious hit on the shoulder.
“We are fortunate that we have two weeks until the next time we play,” Eagles Coach Nick Sirianni said. “He’s going to be a little bit healthier than what he was obviously the other day.”
Sirianni said Hurts “came out sore, as expected.”
The 24-year-old Hurts – who is 17-1 in his last 18 regular-season starts – finished with 3,701 yards passing and 22 touchdowns along with 760 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns in his second season as a starter.
The Eagles started Hurts after they lost two straight games without him because a loss could have cost them the NFC East title and the top seed in the conference.
The Eagles will have a game the weekend of Jan. 21-22 against the lowest remaining seed out of Tampa Bay, Dallas, New York or Seattle in the divisional round.
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