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Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin will start in the team's season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (August 8), head coach Sean McDermott announced on Wednesday (September 4).
Hamlin, 26, hasn't started a game since suffering cardiac arrest during the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on January 2, 2023.
"What else can't this young man do? He basically went through what he went through on the field, you guys have written about that over and over, and to come back from that," McDermott said via NFL.com. "It's one thing to come back off of an ACL or a broken bone. It's another thing to come back off of what he came back off of, right? Let alone just to decide to play football and contact football in full pads at the NFL level.
"I don't think I need to say anything more. It's incredible. I think God's hands have been on Damar and his family and will continue to be. We're just extremely proud and full of gratitude to watch him go through what he's went through and where he is now."
Hamlin previously made 13 starts and appeared in the 15 games in during the 2022 season, as well as five games during the 2023 season. The Pittsburgh native was hospitalized at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and initially reported to be in critical condition before making a miraculous recovery, which coincided with an outpouring of support from players, coaches and fans.