Getty Damar Hamlin looks on before a Buffalo Bills game.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has a message for his critics.
The veteran defensive back has come under scrutiny this offseason as the Bills have added talent to the safety room, leading some to predict he will miss the final roster cut. Hamlin took to social media with a cryptic yet defiant message that appeared to be aimed at these critics.
“Heard all about how they want me to lose but I’m W, Due for a win,” Hamlin wrote on X.
While Hamlin did not specify who the message was aimed at, the timing appeared to suggest he was speaking out against the rising speculation that he might be on the outside of the roster bubble this summer.
Insiders Predict End to Tenure With the Bills
Some close to the team believe that Hamlin will be fighting for his job this summer. In a post-draft analysis, The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia predicted that fourth-year safety would have a difficult time securing a spot on the final 53-man roster and could end up on the trade block.
“Hamlin looks like he’s on the outside looking in on the roster this year,” Buscaglia wrote. “The Bills’ trading him at some point before the season would not be a surprise, either.”
More recent reports paint a better picture for Hamlin. Reporter Alex Brasky noted that he had a strong performance at the team’s June 4 practice and has looked good in the team’s OTAs.
“Damar Hamlin continues to make plays at #Bills OTAs,” Brasky wrote on X. “On Tuesday, Hamlin sat in coverage, reading the eyes of Josh Allen as he was flushed from the pocket, got two hands on a pass and tipped the ball into the air before Deion Jones ran under the ball and hauled it in for the INT”
Hamlin has endured an unusually turbulent tenure with the Bills, playing mostly on special teams in his rookie season in 2021 before being thrust into a starting role his second season after safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer went down with long-term injuries.
Hamlin ended up starting 13 games that season and ranked second on the team in total tackles when he suffered cardiac arrest following a hard hit in a January game against the Cincinnati Bengals. After a long hospital stay, Hamlin spent the offseason returning to form and was able to return to the team for 2023.
But Hamlin returned to a lighter role than before, appearing in just five games and playing largely on special teams.
Bills Add Talent at Safety
Though the Bills lost both Hyde and Poyer to free agency this offseason, they also made some key additions to the safety room that could make it more challenging for Hamlin to make the final roster. The team signed veteran safety Mike Edwards in free agency and used a second-round draft pick on Utah safety Cole Bishop.
CBS Sports noted that Edwards, a two-time Super Bowl champion, appears to be in line for a starting job once he has moved beyond a nagging shoulder injury.
“After signing a one-year deal in March, Edwards has a good chance of starting at free safety with Buffalo having thus far not made an effort to re-sign longtime secondary mainstay Micah Hyde, who is currently without a team and is a question mark to return to football due to long-time neck issues,” the report noted. “Even if Hyde does return to the Bills, the younger and healthier Edwards may be the team’s preferred starter anyway.”