On Monday, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin put on his pads in practice for the first time at training camp. 

“This is just a another milestone on the journey — might be one of the biggest ones,” Hamlin said after practice.

It was a noted occasion, just another step on the ladder for Hamlin, 25, just seven months after he suffered cardiac arrest following a collision with Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins in the first quarter of a televised Monday Night Football game in January. 

The Bills’ safety briefly got up and adjusted his face mask before falling backward. He had to be resuscitated on the field. 

As CBN News reported, the moment he collapsed became a catalyst for an army of prayer warriors to intercede on his behalf for his complete healing recovery. As television viewers watched the live broadcast, both football teams and the entire stadium bowed their heads and went before God in prayer. 

The next day, former NFL quarterback and ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky took a bold and public faith stance bowing his head and openly praying on the air for Hamlin.

“Maybe this is not the right thing to do,” Orlovsky said before praying. “It’s just on my heart that I want to pray for Damar Hamlin right now.”

Since that time, Hamlin has leaned on his faith in God and the support of his family and teammates. Even though he was officially cleared to play and participated in off-season workouts at the Bills’ practice facility back in April, his emotions were running high.  

Hamlin told The Associated Press that even though he was “a little scared here and there, my faith is stronger than any fear.”

“I made the choice to play. But I’m processing a thousand emotions. I’m not afraid to say that it crosses my mind of being a little scared here and there,” he said. “My faith is stronger than any fear. That’s what I want to preach up here. And that’s the message I want to spread on to the world that as long as your faith is stronger than your fear, you can get through anything.”

Even though tackling was not allowed in practice, Hamlin tried to make it feel normal since he was suited up in his entire uniform. 

On his second play, he showed no hesitation when he flew toward Bills’ running back Damien Harris and grabbed him, using both arms. 

“That first little moment of contact, that was just letting me know. I felt alive, man. I felt like I’m here,” Hamlin said, smiling. “So it felt good. It was just that moment of: ‘All right, let’s settle in, and let’s just take one play at a time. Let’s just keep going.'”

The 25-year-old from the Pittsburgh area is entering his third NFL season. Selected by Buffalo in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Pitt, he opened last season as a backup before starting 13 games after Micah Hyde sustained a season-ending neck injury.

This year, Hamlin is competing with offseason free-agent addition Taylor Rapp for a backup role behind Hyde and Jordan Poyer. As for Hamlin’s next hurdle, it’ll come Aug. 12, when the Bills open their preseason schedule at home against Indianapolis.

Coach Sean McDermott said his staff will try to keep practice as normal as possible, but remembering what Hamin has been through. 

“I think awareness is important, right? You’ve got X amount of guys out here and then you have Damar in there as well and trying to make it as normal as possible,” McDermott said. “We’re going to support him through this, and to this point, he’s done a phenomenal job.”

Hamlin’s influence can also be seen at the training camp, where fans can receive CPR training at an American Heart Association tent. With his Chasing M’s Foundation, Hamlin made stops in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati to promote CPR training and hand out free automated external defibrillators to sports organizations.

For now, Hamlin says he made his choice and is playing football for as long as he can. 

“I kind of look at it like a challenge,” he said. “Not too many people get this level of overcoming something and being able to stand for so many good things. … It’s a blessed space, and it’s a bunch of opportunity in there as well, if you choose to look at it that way.”

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