Where is Damar Hamlin? Why inspirational Bills star lost starting safety job

Where is Damar Hamlin? Why inspirational Bills star lost starting safety job originally appeared on The Sporting News

Damar Hamlin will always be one of the NFL’s most inspirational stories.

He came back from a near-death experience in the middle of a game. The Buffalo Bills and their fanbase will never forget where they were when that happened.

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And Hamlin didn’t just survive. He became a public figure of sorts, raising money for key causes. He also became a contributing NFL safety.

But this season, Hamlin has been knocked down the depth chart. And heading into Week 1, he’s not expected to play as big a role as he has in the past.

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Where is Damar Hamlin?

Damar Hamlin is still on the Buffalo Bills’ roster.

He’s just no longer slated to be a starting safety.

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The Bills have Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp expected to start in those deep defensive positions. Hamlin should still see the field, but less than in the past couple seasons.

Why did Damar Hamlin lose his starting job for Bills?

The Bills simply felt they had a better safety duo than one that included Hamlin.

Hamlin has been in on a lot of plays the past two seasons, but he doesn’t grade out well analytically.

He wasn’t expected to start last season, but then Bishop missed ample time in training camp and never really gained his footing.

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But with a full and healthy offseason under Bishop’s belt, he knocked Hamlin out of the lineup.

It doesn’t lessen Hamlin’s impact on the world, but it will likely mean he has a quieter NFL season, at least to start.

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