The Buffalo Bills veterans will report to training camp during the last week of July, and it’s going to be an interesting summer. Buffalo is working with a new head coach, Joe Brady, and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, which means that players who were previously on the roster might not be part of the new coaches’ plans. One of those players is safety Damar Hamlin.
Hamlin joined the Bills in 2021, but this could be his last training camp in Buffalo. ESPN’s Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg published a 53-man roster prediction on Thursday and didn’t have Hamlin making the roster.
“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 [Jalon]Kilgore and [Jordan] Hancock, while [Sam] 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.”
This Could be Hamlin’s Last Summer in Buffalo
Hamlin has appeared in 53 games with the Bills, starting in 27 of them. He has recorded 185 combined tackles, 1.5 sacks and two interceptions. The 6-foot safety has had an incredible journey since suffering a cardiac arrest during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023 on “Monday Night Football.” He has successfully returned to the field and continues to make an impact.
There was some speculation that the Bills weren’t going to bring back Hamlin after the past season, but they did sign him to a one-year, $1.2 million contract. The deal doesn’t guarantee him a spot on the roster, as it is relatively short and not a large amount of money. He will have to play hard to secure a place on the final 53-man roster.
More Changes Are Coming to the Bills Defense
Hamlin not being on the Bills roster may not be the only thing missing from that unit that fans have gotten used to watching over the last five seasons.
Since former head coach Sean McDermott was a defensive-minded coach, he implemented a 4-3 style. But now that Leonhard is in charge, he prefers a 3-4 scheme.
“Amid all the changes the Bills faced this offseason, no part of the team was more impacted than the defense,” Getzenberg added. “The unit ran McDermott’s scheme over the last nine seasons and will now use Leonhard’s. The defensive coordinator will bring a 3-4 base (a shift from McDermott’s 4-3) along with a variety of other changes. Leonhard acknowledged that his vision for the defense may not come together in this first year.”
The Bills are going to have a lot of moving parts on both sides of the ball. Even though Brady is only moving from offensive coordinator to head coach, there could still be a handful of changes to the offense since he doesn’t have anyone to answer to and can implement his own ideas now.
Buffalo’s defense will likely look quite different this season compared to previous years, and it might take a full season for the Bills to adjust to these changes.
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