Damar Hamlin took the next step in his recovery on Tuesday.
The safety took part in full team drills at Bills practice in front of media for the first time in five-plus months after nearly dying on-field of cardiac arrest in a January game in Cincinnati.
While he did not take questions from the media, he did tell the Associated Press that he was “good” as he walked off the field.
“Just so proud of him and thrilled for where he’s at in his journey,” GM Brandon Beane said.
Hamlin participated in a closed practice with his Buffalo teammates on May 31 and then called his parents in Pittsburgh.
“He’s still got more milestones to hit. But to think back, we’re just at the beginning of June, and that was the beginning of January, and we were just hoping he’d live,” Beane said.
“Now he’s not only got a normal life, but we’re talking about playing not just any football, but NFL football.”
Hamlin had previously done individual drills as part of his objective to get back to football after going into cardiac arrest following a normal hit from Bengals receiver Tee Higgins.
The 25-year-old laid on the ground surrounded by teammates and medical professionals for 19 minutes in a surreal scene broadcast on national TV.
The game was eventually canceled, and Hamlin was hospitalized for 10 days as the league rallied around him.
The next step for Hamlin will come at training camp in late July when players begin practicing in full pads in full-contact sessions.
His progress is not lost on anyone, especially those around him.
“He’s worked really hard on the mental side of this. Physically, he’s all cleared. But this is a real deal from a mental standpoint after you’ve been to where he was,” Beane said.
“We’ll continue to ramp him up with helmets on, but that’ll probably be the next big hurdle for him, tackling.”
