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Sean McDermott opened up on the Bills' decision to place Damar Hamlin on injured reserve
The Buffalo Bills are expected to undergo some changes in their secondary under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, and it could leave one fan-favorite player on the wrong side of the roster bubble.
Reporter Nick Wojton of USA Today’s Bills Wire offered his early prediction of the team’s final 53-man roster, suggesting the team won’t have room for safety Damar Hamlin. Though Hamlin has occupied a starting role at times and is a regular on special teams, Wojton suggested that his lack of versatility in the secondary could be his downfall this summer.
End of the Line for Damar Hamlin?
Wojton predicted that newcomer C.J. Gardner-Johnson will slide into a starting role alongside last year’s incumbent starter, Cole Bishop. Wojton predicted a fairly deep safety room this year, with the Bills keeping four others — Jordan Hancock, Geno Stone, Sam Franklin Jr. and Jalon Kilgore.
With the departure of nickel cornerback Taron Johnson this offseason, Wojton suggested the Bills could use some of their safety depth to fill this role.
“The real versatility hits hard at safety. The Bills have multiple options that can play nickel cornerback,” Wojton wrote.
Hamlin had already seen his role on defense dwindling last season before suffering a season-ending injury. The veteran safety appeared in five games, making just one total tackle and playing 12 total snaps on defense, with 49 on special teams.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty