Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has been seen as a fringe roster candidate for each of the last three years, but managed to find his way to a roster spot each season.
Hamlin is once again seen as a potential cut candidate, but one team insider believes he is gaining an edge over another veteran safety who was brought in to compete for a spot this offseason.
Damar Hamlin Ahead of Geno Stone in Roster Battle
Reporter Ralph Ventre of SI.com noted that the Bills don’t have much room for safeties, keeping just three last season. The team already has two likely locked in with incumbent starter Cole Bishop and free-agent addition C.J. Gardner-Johnson, leaving room for potentially one or two more.
Ventre believes that the team will keep rookie Jalen Kilgore, with Hamlin holding an edge over free-agent addition Geno Stone for what could be the final roster spot.
“With Gardner-Johnson emerging as the early favorite to win the vacant starting role, the boisterous defensive back appears close to locking up a roster spot. That leaves Stone, Hamlin and Kilgore essentially fighting for two spots,” Ventre wrote.
“Unless he shows zero potential, one would think Kilgore is relatively safe due to his Round 5 draft status. Hamlin is certainly no guarantee to make the team, but his familiarity with the organization allows him to distinguish himself from the rest of the group.”
Hamlin has played an important role as a reserve and special teams regular, filling in on starting duties when one of the top safeties goes down with injury. But he missed a significant chunk of last season with an injury before returning to the team on a one-year contract.
Stone has been a steady safety since coming into the NFL in 2020, appearing in 85 games with 53 starts. He has made 14 interceptions and 312 total tackles, including a career-best 104 with the Cincinnati Bengals last season.
Others See Trouble for Damar Hamlin
Some reporters still believe Hamlin will land on the wrong side of the roster bubble. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg predicted that he would fall behind both Kilgore and versatile defensive back Jordan Hancock, with Sam Franklin moving ahead of him on the special teams depth chart.
“Safety depth has turned into a strength. In turn, that leaves Damar Hamlin in a tricky spot,” Getzenberg wrote. “The edge in versatility goes to Kilgore and Hancock, while Franklin was brought back for his special teams abilities. Hamlin certainly has a chance to make the roster, but he’ll have to prove why he deserves a spot as a contributor on defense and special teams. This is a group to watch.”
The Bills could also take a different approach to the secondary, carrying more defensive backs under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
If the Bills do part ways with Hamlin at the final roster cuts, he could be a strong candidate to return on the practice squad. He has been a favorite of the previous coaching regime and is seen as a good locker room presence.
Bills Predicted to Part Ways With Veteran Safety After Offseason Signing