Damar Hamlin’s season about more than just the firsts with Bills starting role

The day before it became official, before Damar Hamlin’s spot as a starting safety in Week 1 went from a plausible scenario to his concrete reality, he sent Micah Hyde a text. 

Hyde, along with Jordan Poyer, had anchored the Bills’ defense as safeties for seven seasons.

They were the starters — unless injuries dictated otherwise.

The two All-Pros were the constants on a team in a league defined by roster turnover — and that included the 2021 campaign when Hamlin made the roster as a sixth-round pick. 

“They were the guys. So it was easy for me to just sit back and just pay attention and just learn and be a sponge,” Hamlin told The Post of Hyde and Poyer on Tuesday while promoting his partnership with Invisalign.

But that changed this offseason.

Poyer went to the Dolphins in free agency.

Hyde hasn’t retired, but he hasn’t signed anywhere, either — and has said that he’ll either play for the Bills this year or end his career.

Hamlin texted Hyde Tuesday to say that he missed him.

Their exits have opened up an opportunity for Hamlin to crack the starting lineup again when the Bills open against the Cardinals on Sunday, and he takes the latest step in his improbable return to football following the harrowing 2023 incident when he suffered cardiac arrest during a game.

“I think life’s about making the most of your situations and being ready when the opportunity presents itself,” Hamlin said. “And proper preparation prevents poor performance.”

Hamlin has been a starter before, during the 2022-’23 season, when Hyde missed most of the year with a neck injury.

His life changed, though, the last time he was in the starting lineup.

He suffered cardiac arrest on the field after attempting to make a tackle against the Bengals during their Jan. 2, 2023 game, and in the months that followed, his recovery remained an inspirational storyline throughout the NFL.

He was cleared for football activities in April 2023, just four months after he received CPR on the field and was placed on a ventilator at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.

So last season for Hamlin, and by extension the rest of the Bills surrounding him, became about the firsts.

His first training camp practice since the cardiac arrest.

The first snap in a game.

First tackle.

He was a finalist for the league’s Comeback Player of the Year award, but lost to Joe Flacco, even though the quarterback expressed his support for Hamlin.

Minimal contributions within games were amplified by the context of what had unfolded across the previous year.

The Bills’ need for Hamlin to take on a larger defensive role in 2024 has now materialized.

It wasn’t always a guarantee.

The Bills drafted a safety — Cole Bishop — in the second round.

But now after being named the starter of a Super Bowl contender, Hamlin’s journey back to football will reach another tier.

The Bills are depending on Hamlin — at least for Week 1, and potentially throughout the rest of the season.

He’ll have a chance to ensure they don’t experience a drop-off from the consistency that defined the Hyde-Poyer reign at safety.

“I took everything from them,” Hamlin said of Hyde and Poyer. “Just their approach to the game, how serious they were about their day-to-day approach within how they prioritize their work. They came to work every day. They showed up and gave it their all. So that’s my focus with everything.”