For years, the Buffalo Bills were spoiled by the elite safety play of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. With two All-Pro-caliber players as the last defense of the stop unit, the Bills had a luxury that most teams did not. Hyde and Poyer could switch roles at will, another underrated value they provided. It made opponents hesitate to see which one of them would cover which spot, as they could just as easily be a deep-third player as they could cover an intermediate zone, or even come on a blitz.
Since
Hyde and Poyer left the team, the Bills have struggled to find replacements. That makes sense, as elite players don’t grow on trees. The Bills have been able to find some adequate play at safety, but those moments of adequacy have also been joined by moments of inconsistency. Head coach Sean McDermott channeled Bono in a recent interview, saying that, with regard to the safety position, he still hasn’t found what he’s looking for as it relates to s starter at safety.
If you, too, are wondering who might start at safety, fear not. In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss one of the players vying for a starting gig for a second straight year.
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Name: Damar Hamlin
Number: 3
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6’, 200 pounds
Age: 27 (28 on 3/24/2026)
Experience/Draft: 5; selected by the Bills in the sixth round (No. 212 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft
College: Pitt
Acquired: Sixth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Hamlin re-signed this offseason, inking a one-year deal worth $2 million overall. The entire deal is guaranteed, so that number would be the dead-cap charge Buffalo would carry if Hamlin were to be released. His cap number for the season if he’s on the 53-man roster is $1,337,500
2024 Recap: Hamlin completed his miraculous return from a near-death experience, starting in 14 of Buffalo’s regular-season contests just 18 months removed from an on-field cardiac arrest that nearly cost him his life. Hamlin filled up the stat sheet, notching 89 total tackles, two interceptions, five pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and two tackles for loss in those games.
He missed three December games with injured ribs, but he was back to full health once the postseason began. In three playoff games, Hamlin totaled 15 tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. In coverage, Hamlin was a liability, allowing 73% of the passes where he was the closest defender to be completed for 396 yards and two scores.
Positional outlook: Hamlin is one of five players on the roster who is a safety-only. Tre Herndon, Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, and Darrick Forrest Jr. are the others. Wande Owens was released prior to final roster cuts. Jordan Hancock and Cam Lewis are safeties who also play slot corner.
2025 Offseason: Hamlin is healthy and participating in preseason games. He has four tackles in Buffalo’s first two exhibition tilts.
2025 Season outlook: The Bills could do a lot worse than Damar Hamlin as a starting safety. He has experience in the defense, he is a sure tackler, especially around the line of scrimmage and in the intermediate areas of the field, and he is beloved by his teammates. All of these are qualities that can’t be overlooked.
However, the Bills could also do better — much better — than Damar Hamlin as a starting safety. He is a liability in coverage at the deep levels, and his lack of overall athleticism limits what Buffalo can do effectively as a defense.
Taylor Rapp is best-suited as a box safety. The Bills play him in the deeper areas of the field because, at least as of now, he is the best athlete who actually understands where to go on defense. That’s not to say that these are the exclusive looks each safety gives, nor is it the only place each safety plays on the field, but it’s pretty clear that certain teams — looking at you, Kansas City Chiefs — understand that when they see No. 3 rotate back, that’s the area to attack. And if No. 3 is playing man coverage? Well, that’s also a place to attack.
Hamlin is good depth. He’s a good football player. He’s a fantastic human being. The Buffalo Bills should not want him starting at safety in 2025. They seem not to want him starting, as they’re doing everything they can to give Cole Bishop the chance to start next to Rapp instead of Hamlin, but the second-year man can’t stay healthy enough to earn a gig the coaching staff is trying to give him. With that in mind, expect that Hamlin will start games this year given that neither Bishop nor Rapp has shown much in the way of durability over the course of their careers.
Damar Hamlin will be on the roster. While his role ultimately remains to be seen, the Bills need to find someone capable of unseating him as a starter.
