Why Damar Hamlin still isn’t playing for Bills in playoffs vs. Broncos with injury update

Why Damar Hamlin still isn’t playing for Bills in playoffs vs. Broncos with injury update originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

This looked to be the week Damar Hamlin would make his return to the field with the Buffalo Bills.

The Bills are in Denver to take on the Broncos in the AFC’s Divisional Round. And Buffalo is quite shorthanded at safety.

Hamlin has been injured for much of the season.

Finally, though, Buffalo thought it’d get him back. But that’s not what happened.

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Why isn’t Damar Hamlin playing?

Damar Hamlin, in the end, wasn’t activated from IR for the game against the Broncos.

He’s in his 21-day activation window, the period within which Buffalo has to activate him after being on Injured Reserve for more than half the season.

Hamlin was listed as a full participant at practice during the week, so it seemed he’d come back.

But when the Bills activated both Ed Oliver and Curtis Samuel from IR, they didn’t do the same for Hamlin.

That leaves Cole Bishop playing with a few backup safeties alongside him after Jordan Poyer was injured.

Hamlin hadn’t been as big a contributor this season as in the past, even before a pectoral injury has kept him out since Week 6. Bishop took the snaps that used to go to Hamlin.

Evidently, Buffalo didn’t feel Hamlin was quite ready to step back out in the intensity of a playoff game and make a difference.

So instead, he’ll watch from the sideline, hoping the Bills advance and give him another chance to get back on the field.