Last year, he was viewed as the odds-on favorite to win comeback player of the year. This year, an argument could be made that he’s just as worthy for serious consideration.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during a regular-season game on January 2, 2023 ultimately did not win the award in 2023 (a late run by Browns quarterback Joe Flacco allowed him to take the prize). Hamlin’s case was hurt by the fact that he didn’t play very much. In all, he took 17 defensive snaps for the entire season.
This year, Hamlin started 13 games for the Bills. He has participated in 810 defensive plays. He’s also a Pro Bowl alternate.
DraftKings currently has Hamlin at fourth in the odds for the award (+4000), behind only Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold, and Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins.
As one source with knowledge of the situation recently explained it to PFT, Hamlin is still recovering from the mental and physical toll of his effort to play in 2023, following his cardiac arrest.
“Last year was really hard for him,” the source said.
How could it not have been? A routine play nearly ended his life. No matter what a player tries to tell himself or anyone else about the situation, it had to be very difficult to get himself back in the proper mindset to take live snaps.
This year, he was and is all the way back.
The clarified standard for comeback player of the year explains that it is “to honor a player who has demonstrated resilience in the face of adversity by overcoming illness, physical injury or other circumstances that led him to miss playing time the previous season.”
While he suffered no injury in 2023, the cardiac arrest from the 2022 season caused Hamlin to miss significant playing time in 2023.
He likely won’t win the 2024 award. But with the voters’ ballots now containing five names for each of the awards, Hamlin should once again get votes.
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