Damar Hamlin is back in the kind of fight that defines NFL August: not for a starting role, but for a roster spot. And in Buffalo, where the safety room is crowded and the numbers are tight, that battle is getting uncomfortable fast.
The Bills are expected to open with Cole Bishop and C.J. Gardner-Johnson at safety, which leaves a scramble for the remaining spots behind them. Hamlin is in the mix with Geno Stone, Sam Franklin Jr., Jordan Hancock and Jalon Kilgore, and there simply isn’t room for everyone.
Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic recently projected Hamlin onto Buffalo’s 53-man roster, but just barely. In that version, the Bills keep Hamlin and let Stone go.
On paper, that sounds like good news. In reality, the margin is thin enough that one missed tackle or one special-teams mistake in the final preseason game could change everything.
Hamlin signed a one-year deal with Buffalo in March after the Bills selected him in the sixth round in 2021. Across 53 games, he has 185 tackles.
His role shifted last season, though. After starting 14 games in 2024, he was mostly used on special teams in 2025 before a pectoral injury sent him to injured reserve.
Stone brings a different kind of resume to the competition. He started every game for Cincinnati over the last two seasons and finished 2025 with 104 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions.
That’s the sort of production that usually makes a player feel safe about a fourth safety job. Late August doesn’t always care.
Hamlin did give Buffalo something to think about in the preseason win over Cleveland. He jumped a pass, broke on the ball and nearly picked it off. It was only one play in an exhibition setting, but for someone on the roster bubble, that kind of moment can linger in the meeting room.
There’s another edge for Hamlin: his work on special teams. With Bishop and Gardner-Johnson expected to handle most of the defensive snaps, Buffalo’s backup safeties need to contribute in the kicking game, too.
That’s where Hamlin may have the inside track over Stone. A reserve who barely plays defense still has to be dependable every Sunday, covering kicks and handling whatever assignment gets thrown at him when injuries shake up the depth chart.
Hamlin spoke about that pressure after Monday’s practice, discussing both the roster-cut reality and his work in Jim Leonhard’s new defense and under special-teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.
Buffalo’s bond with Hamlin is obvious and lasting. His recovery from the cardiac arrest he suffered in January 2023 brought the organization and its community together during a terrifying moment. But that history does not put him above the cut line.
Hamlin has spent years wanting to be judged as a football player first, not defined by what happened in Cincinnati. Now the Bills have to make that same kind of football decision.
If he’s the better safety and special-teams player, he stays. If Stone offers more, Buffalo may have to move on from one of the most admired players in the organization’s recent memory.
There’s even another path: the Bills could decide to move on from both veterans and keep a younger option. Hancock can play safety or nickel, and Kilgore is a cheaper developmental piece.
For now, Hamlin seems to be ahead. Just barely.
That’s the hard truth hanging over his final preseason appearance. This isn’t about another comeback. It’s about keeping his job.
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