Bills Damar Hamlin Not Practicing at OTAs: 'One Day at a Time'

Regardless of whether or not he's sporting a helmet and pads for Week 1, it remains a miracle that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin has overcome all the odds after nearly dying on the football field in January.

The Buffalo Bills are making sure to ease safety Damar Hamlin back into the groove of football activities.

As the team continued on with OTAs on Tuesday, Bills coach Sean McDermott provided an injury/health update on Hamlin, who is approaching the five-month mark of suffering from cardiac arrest in the field of play on Jan. 2.

"He has not been practicing," McDermott said. "We're just gonna continue to take it one day at a time and just support Damar every way possible."

However, even without a helmet or pads, Hamlin still took part in some drills on Tuesday.

Here's a look at Damar Hamlin during OTAs today. He was not practicing and Sean McDermott said they're just taking it "one day at a time" with Hamlin but still a big step to see him out there with his teammates even if he's not practicing. pic.twitter.com/8olHIoLeo3

— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) May 23, 2023

Despite Bills general manager Brandon Beane saying last month that Hamlin is "fully cleared," the team apparently isn't risking rushing him back during voluntary workouts. It appears to hope is for Hamlin to be ready for training camp if that "fully cleared" tag holds up.

But regardless of whether or not he's sporting a helmet and pads for Week 1, it remains a miracle that Hamlin has overcome all the odds after nearly dying on the football field. Any potential absences from now until the season starts obviously won't take away from what he has done both for himself and for others over the past couple of months.

"I died on national TV in front of the world ... (and) to see the world see the good that I was trying to do even before the notoriety, for that to be acknowledged, it was just a wonderful feeling,'' Hamlin said in April. "I plan to save a generation and generations to come."

The Bills will continue OTAs until June 8 before the start of mandatory minicamp on June 13.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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