Bills' Damar Hamlin Will Be 'Full Go' at Training Camp After Cardiac Arrest Recovery

As the Buffalo Bills begin training camp this week, safety Damar Hamlin has been cleared to participate without any restrictions.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced Wednesday that Hamlin "will be a full go at training camp and we're behind him 100 percent. We'll go at his cadence."

During a Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2, Hamlin collapsed on the field after suffering commotio cordis, which is described as "a rare cardiac arrest immediately following a blow to the chest" by the American Heart Association. Life-saving measures were administered on the field by the Bills medical and training staff before Hamlin was transported to a Cincinnati hospital, where he continued his recovery.

In April, Hamlin announced he has been fully cleared by multiple specialists to return to playing football. He said at the time:

"My heart is still in the game. I love the game. It is something I want to prove to myself, not nobody else. I just wanna show people that that fear is a choice that you can keep going in something without having the answers and without knowing what's at the end of the tunnel. Or you might feel anxious, you might feel any type of way, but you just keep putting that right foot in front of the left one, and you keep going. I want to stand for that."

Last month, Hamlin was a full participant in Bills OTAs. He had been limited to individual drills during voluntary workouts in May, but he was able to continue progressing toward his goal of being ready for the 2023 season.

In the 15 games he played in 2022, Hamlin registered 91 total tackles, two passes defended, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.

The 25-year-old will now set his sights on being ready for Buffalo's 2023 season opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football on Sept. 11.