Damar Hamlin injury update isn't good news for the Bills

Billy Heyen

Damar Hamlin injury update isn't good news for the Bills image

The Buffalo Bills' defense can't get healthy.

On Monday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons, they'll be missing safety Damar Hamlin, linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle T.J. Sanders.

Hamlin sustained a pectoral injury during Thursday's practice in preparation for the Week 6 MNF matchup with the Falcons.

The Bills placed Hamlin on Injured Reserve. He will have to miss a minimum of four games after going on IR.

"Damar is up in the air at this point," head coach Sean McDermott told reporters about the chance of Hamlin coming back this season.

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Hamlin has already been a bit of a lesser key for the Bills in the 2025 season.

After being a starter last year, Hamlin is a reserve at the safety spot. Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop have held down the two starting jobs.

That means Hamlin spends a lot more time on the sideline, along with getting action on special teams.

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NFL fans know Hamlin's name because of his horrific on-field collapse, and he worked hard to get back to playing football after that scare.

Hamlin found himself in on a lot of tackles in 2024, but analytics services didn't grade his overall safety play kindly.

For now, the Bills will be without Hamlin on the field, but that had already been mostly true this season. Buffalo will have to hope Hamlin can continue to at least serve as an inspiration and a leader as they move forward.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle