Damar Hamlin is ‘improving’ and ‘taking one baby step at a time’, reveals Bills coach Sean McDermott

Damar Hamlin has been in the Bills’ training facility almost every day and is ‘taking one baby step at a time’ as he bids to recover from suffering a cardiac arrest against the Bengals, coach Sean McDermott has revealed. 

Hamlin collapsed on the field at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati 16 days ago after tackling Bengals WR Tee Higgins.

Hamlin was administered CPR on the field and was then taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center where he was placed in the intensive care unit in critical condition.

After a series of tests and a number of days, Hamlin was able to have his breathing tube removed and was awake and responding to doctors. 

Hamlin (left) had a cardiac arrest after a tackle playing against the Bengals back on January 2

Bills safety Hamlin was released from the hospital in Buffalo last week and then went home

Hamlin, who reunited with his teammates on Saturday and toasted their wildcard playoff win against the Dolphins from home, is now back in the building taking ‘baby steps’ on his road to a full recovery.  

‘Damar is in the building now, almost daily, and that’s good news,’ McDermott told reporters ahead of practice Wednesday. 

‘As he continues to improve that helps [the rest of the team]. That experience, we’ll carry that with us. There’s a challenge to [dealing with] that but also a lot of good that came from that and we need to focus on the positives right now.’

Asked specifically what Hamlin has been able to do since coming back into the building, McDermott added: ‘It’s limited overall but he comes in and is just trying to get back to a bit of a routine. Taking one baby step at a time. 

Hamlin was administered CPR on the field and was taken by ambulance to a Cincinnati hospital

Bills coach Sean McDermott gave a Hamlin update ahead of Sunday’s Bengals playoff game

‘He’s just kind of dipping his toe back in here and getting on the road to being back to himself.’

A series of neurological tests and hospital exams  found no change in his brain function and Hamlin was soon able to speak to his friends and family. 

Hamlin watched on from the hospital when his Bills teammates played their final game of the regular season against the New England Patriots, defeating them and starting the contest off with an opening kickoff return for a touchdown. 

A day later, on January 9, Hamlin was allowed to leave the hospital in Cincinnati and was flown back to Buffalo – where he was brought to Buffalo General Hospital for further testing. 

Last Wednesday, Hamlin received further good news as he was discharged from BGH and will continue his rehab with the team. 

McDermott is keen for his group to ‘focus on positives’ right now with Hamlin making progress but when asked to reflect on the lasting impact Hamlin’s cardiac arrest had on him, the Bills coach’s faith came to the fore. 

A mural of signatures wishing Hamlin a speedy recovery sits in Buffalo General Hospital

The support for Hamlin continued on Sunday in the AFC Wild Card game against the Dolphins

‘I think just as a world, the biggest thing I learned as a human is people putting aside their agendas for the common good to achieve one goal,’ he added.

‘I’m 48 years old and I shared this story with my kids on Sunday after the New England game, the first chance I’d had to slow down. When you can go through life, 48 years, without anything like that happen you realize god is real and the power of prayer. 

QB Josh Allen said something similar to his coach previously when asked about the lasting impact of seeing Hamlin go down. 

‘[There was] just kind of kind of a spiritual awakening really for me, and I know for a lot of other people that maybe didn’t have the strongest belief, or wasn’t one of the biggest [or] strongest Christian followers,’ the Bills QB told ESPN’s Kyle Brandt ahead of the playoff matchup with the Dolphins.

‘Something got a hold of me there,’ Allen added. ‘It was extremely powerful that I couldn’t deny.’

MORE TO FOLLOW.