Bills may be preparing to make a painful Damar Hamlin decision

Damar Hamlin is back in a familiar position with Buffalo. He is competing for a job, and the Bills do not have enough room to keep everybody.

This one will be tougher than most.

Buffalo has a crowded safety room

Cole Bishop and C.J. Gardner-Johnson are expected to start at safety. Behind them, Buffalo must sort through Hamlin, Geno Stone, Sam Franklin Jr., Jordan Hancock and Jalon Kilgore.

Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic recently projected Hamlin onto the 53-man roster, but only by a narrow margin. In his projection, Buffalo kept Hamlin and released Stone.

That sounds encouraging for Hamlin until one considers how little separates them. One missed tackle or special-teams mistake in the final preseason game could flip the decision.

Hamlin returned to Buffalo on a one-year contract in March. The Bills drafted him in the sixth round in 2021, and he has recorded 185 tackles over 53 games.

His role changed last season. After starting 14 games in 2024, Hamlin played mostly on special teams in 2025 before a pectoral injury landed him on injured reserve.

Stone arrives with a different résumé. He started every game for Cincinnati over the previous two seasons and finished 2025 with 104 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Usually, a player with that experience is not worried about the fourth safety spot.

Welcome to late August, when NFL resumes are useful right up until they are not.

Damar Hamlin may have a small advantage

Hamlin helped himself during Buffalo’s preseason win over Cleveland. He read a pass, broke toward the ball and nearly came away with an interception.

It was one play in an exhibition game. For a player on the roster bubble, however, one play can hang around the meeting room for several days.

Hamlin also has experience on Buffalo’s special-teams units. That may give him the edge over Stone because neither player is expected to see many defensive snaps when Bishop and Gardner-Johnson are available.

A backup who only plays defense on occasion cannot spend every Sunday standing beside the coaches. He must cover kicks, handle different assignments and be ready when injuries rearrange the depth chart without warning.

Hamlin discussed that reality after Monday’s practice. He acknowledged the pressure surrounding roster cuts while talking about his work in Jim Leonhard’s new defense and his role under special-teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers.

He knows exactly what this week is.