NFL

Damar Hamlin expected to make season debut vs. Dolphins, report says

Hamlin was inactive for Buffalo's first three regular-season games

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Damar Hamlin's comeback story is set to be completed.

With Buffalo Bills starting safety Jordan Poyer sidelined due to a knee injury, Hamlin is expected to be activated for Sunday's AFC East showdown against the Miami Dolphins, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Friday.

It will mark the first regular-season action for Hamlin, who was inactive for Buffalo's first three games, since suffering a cardiac arrest on Jan. 2.

Hamlin, 25, did appear in all three of Buffalo's preseason contests, registering a total of 73 snaps on defense and 19 on special teams, according to NFL.com.

Hamlin's 2023 season debut will come just under nine months after he suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during a late-season game against the Bengals in Cincinnati. Immediate response efforts from the Bills' training staff, which included administering CPR, helped save Hamlin's life.

After spending 10 days in hospitals in Cincinnati and Buffalo, Hamlin was discharged to continue his rehab at home and with the Bills. He was cleared to return to football in mid-April and practiced for the first time in early June.

The Bills-Dolphins matchup is set for 1 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York.

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