The common belief was that Damar Hamlin had played his last game for the Buffalo Bills, but the safety is back for one more year. Signing Hamlin to a one-year deal, Buffalo will now have their top three safeties from 2024, Hamlin, Taylor Rapp, and Cole Bishop, under contract.
Will the duo of Rapp and Hamlin return as the starters for another season, or is Hamlin back to give them flexibility while potentially looking for their safety of the future?
Hamlin is a highly-contested conversation in some circles, but I will die on the hill that Hamlin is a starting-caliber safety. No, he isn't an elite option, and his athletic limitations do show up at times, but he played well in his first season as a full-time starter, largely finding himself in command of the scheme and playing sound, in-position football, something that is critical in Sean McDermott's defense.
The way Brandon Beane spoke about 2024 rookie Cole Bishop, it sure sounds like the team had every expectation of him emerging and seizing one of the starting roles in training camp. Unfortunately, an injury sidelined him during that critical part of his transition to the NFL, causing him to fall behind early. Heading into 2025, will Hamlin still have the upper hand? I'm not so sure. It's fair to expect there to be a genuine competition at the safety position once again, like there was last summer.
No matter who ends up taking the field as the starters in the fall, having Hamlin with his experience in the system back for another year gives McDermott a veteran to lean on. It's a good signing for stability in the room.
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