Bills safety Damar Hamlin, right, prepares to tackle Colts running back Evan Hull during a preseason game on Saturday in Orchard Park, N.Y. It was Hamlin’s action in a game since he went into cardiac arrest on Jan. 2. Adrian Kraus/Associated Press
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Whatever jitters Bills safety Damar Hamlin might have been feeling went away midway through the first quarter on Saturday, when he first heard the play call: Blitz.
Four snaps into his first game in a competitive setting since a near-death experience on Jan, 2, Hamlin broke toward the line and stopped Indianapolis Colts running back Evan Hull for no gain on fourth-and-1 from the Buffalo 40.
“Yeah, man, it felt good. It for surely felt like a little weight off my shoulders,” Hamlin said following Buffalo’s 23-19 preseason-opening win. “Amazing. It just makes me feel like I’m back in that element.”
What seemed unfathomable in those frightening first moments when Hamlin went into cardiac arrest and needed to be resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati in January, is closer to approaching reality in the 25-year-old’s bid to resume his playing career.
Hamlin showed no signs of hesitancy or trepidation in finishing with three tackles – the two others coming on consecutive snaps – in playing two-plus defensive series spanning the first and second quarters.
In doing so, he reached the latest and perhaps biggest milestone in a comeback that began with him returning to practice in May followed by enduring his first thud in the Bills’ first padded session of training camp two weeks ago.
“What we just witnessed, to me, is remarkable,” Bills Coach Sean McDermott said. “It’s a true sign of a young man’s courage and obviously everyone who helped him to get to this point. I know there was a football game going out there today, but I mean a truly remarkable display of courage and strength and faith.”
Hamlin arrived at the stadium flashing his familiar heart sign and held out three fingers to signify his jersey number as he entered the tunnel. And not even a brief delay caused by a thunderstorm could douse his spirits.
Hamlin entered the game taking the field as part of Buffalo’s kickoff coverage unit following James Cook’s 8-yard TD run 3 1/2 minutes in. And he spent the second half watching along the sideline with his pads on while wearing running shoes.
At the final whistle, Hamlin sought out his mother, Nina, in the stands and presented her his game jersey even though he had initially promised it to former teammate and now Colts receiver Isiah McKenzie.
“That first jersey back, it had to go to Mom. Dude, I had to go to her. My mom was my strength, my everything, you know, through my entire life,” Hamlin said. “But I’m for surely going to get Isaiah a jersey this season.”
McKenzie is fine with having to wait.
More important to him was seeing how far Hamlin has come.
“It was awesome to see him progressing the way he’s progressing. Out there on the field now, doing his thing and playing the game he loves to play. It felt awesome to be out there with him,” McKenzie said. “One time I was on the pile, and me and him started laughing. It was pretty cool to see him smiling and enjoying himself.”
Hamlin has grown in confidence with each step he’s taken, starting with waking up from a medically induced coma in a Cincinnati hospital bed some two days after he collapsed, followed by being able to breathe on his own to eventually being cleared to resume playing in April, when he announced his comeback bid.
Asked what his next milestone might be, Hamlin kept his day-at-a-time focus by saying: “Practice tomorrow.”
BEARS 23, TITANS 17: Justin Fields threw touchdown passes to prized newcomer DJ Moore and Khalil Herbert on Chicago’s first two possessions, then watched as the Bears beat Tennessee in Chicago in the teams’ preseason opener.
The Bears envisioned big plays in the passing game when they acquired Moore in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers. They got one from their new receiver, though it didn’t happen on a long throw.
Moore and Herbert turned short passes into sprints to the end zone against a second-string defense after Tennessee’s Malik Willis led the Titans on a 75-yard touchdown drive to start the game.
PANTHERS 27, JETS 0: Bryce Young was 4 of 6 passing for 21 yards in his NFL preseason debut as Carolina lost to New York in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft played three series and the Panthers picked up just one first down with the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner under center against a Jets defense that rested its starters.
Young didn’t get much help from his offensive line as he was hit on three of his seven drop backs, including a blindside shot to the center of his back from 293-pound defensive tackle Solomon Thomas on his first pass attempt. Young’s lack of size was the biggest concern when he entered the league, but the 5-foot-10, 204-pound quarterback bounced back to his feet after the hit.
Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the Jets will have to wait for another day as coach Robert Saleh held out the four-time league MVP for the second straight preseason game. The 39-year-old Rodgers hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2018 with Green Bay.
NOTES
BROWNS: For the second straight year, Cleveland Browns linebacker Jacob Phillips has suffered a season-ending pectoral injury.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Phillips tore the chest muscle during Friday night’s preseason loss to the Washington Commanders. Phillips, a third-round pick in 2020 from LSU, sustained a similar injury during the 2022 regular season against Baltimore.
Stefanski said the latest injury is on the opposite side from last season.
The 24-year-old Phillips went to the locker room in the third quarter Friday night. He will undergo surgery.
Phillips has shown promise when he’s been healthy. However, he’s been limited to just 20 games over the past three seasons due to injuries.
He was listed as a backup on Cleveland’s latest depth chart behind Anthony Walker Jr. and Sione Takiki, who are both coming back from season-ending injuries in 2022.
GIANTS: If anything came out of their first preseason game, New York found out quickly the draft picks it was counting on are ready for prime time.
Cornerback Deonte Banks, center John-Michael Schmitz – their top two picks – and cornerback Tre Hawkins all showed flashes in the Detroit Lions’ 21-16 win over New York on Friday night.
The Giants are hoping Banks, the 24th pick in the draft, is ready to take on a starting role opposite veteran Adoree Jackson. He has shown he can handle the job in training camp and he held his own against the backups the Lions had starting.
Banks played 37 snaps, the same as Hawkins, and had one tackle. Hawkins finished with five tackles.
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