Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin appears poised to claim a place on the team’s 53-man roster this season, according to recent projections from league insiders, potentially forcing the club to part ways with another experienced defensive back.
Hamlin has long faced questions about his roster status each summer. He has repeatedly held on as a valuable reserve safety and special teams contributor despite annual speculation that he might be among those released.
This year, that speculation has shifted. One respected team insider now suggests a different veteran safety could be the one left off the final roster instead.
ESPN reporter Alaina Getzenberg included Hamlin in her projection of the Bills’ final 53-man roster. She pointed to his steady work throughout training camp and the opening pair of preseason contests as the reason he should stick around.
“Hamlin has put together a solid camp,” Getzenberg wrote. “As he has done in years past, Hamlin’s availability and reliability in the summer have shown his value. He has been a most consistent backup with Gardner-Johnson missing time. This could be a close decision with veteran Geno Stone, while the special teams capabilities of Kilgore and Franklin are important.”
Getzenberg indicated that Geno Stone, brought in during the offseason to bolster the secondary, would be the player cut to make space.
Stone arrived with a solid track record. He has appeared in 85 regular-season games and made 53 starts over his career. Last season with the Cincinnati Bengals, he started every one of the team’s 17 contests, posting a personal-best 104 tackles along with two interceptions, one of which he took back for a touchdown.
Other analysts have reached similar conclusions about Hamlin’s standing. Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic placed Hamlin on the roster in his latest projection after watching the safety perform well in the first preseason game. That assessment came even before Hamlin recorded an interception against the Cleveland Browns in the second exhibition contest.
Ahead of that second preseason matchup, Buscaglia updated his 53-man roster outlook. He kept five safeties overall but moved Hamlin inside the cut line while leaving Stone on the outside.
“While I still have the Bills keeping five safeties, I’ve switched Hamlin onto the 53-man roster and Stone on the outside looking in,” Buscgalia wrote. “Between the two, I think Hamlin has been the more consistent player. While Hamlin may be the easier player to get on the practice squad, he’s endeared himself to this coaching staff with his smarts and the knack for being in the right place.”
Buscaglia described the choice as a tight one and left open the possibility that the team could reverse course.
“Stone is a slightly more volatile asset with some missed tackles and coverage gaffes, but he’s a better athlete. However, if they reverse the decision, it wouldn’t stun me.”
The competition in the Bills secondary has drawn steady attention during camp. Hamlin’s ability to stay healthy and ready has once again worked in his favor, especially with other pieces of the defensive backfield dealing with absences.
Special teams contributions remain a factor in these decisions as well. Players who can help on coverage units and returns often gain an edge when roster spots grow scarce.
Stone’s experience and athleticism give him clear strengths, yet the consistency Hamlin has shown this summer appears to have tipped the scales in the eyes of these observers.
Final roster decisions typically come down to the last days of the preseason. Coaches and front-office staff weigh practice film, game performances, and long-term fit before submitting the required cuts.
For Hamlin, another year on the active roster would continue a story of resilience. For Stone, a release would open the possibility of opportunities elsewhere or a practice squad return if the Bills choose that path.
The projections from Getzenberg and Buscaglia align closely enough to suggest the organization values what Hamlin has delivered so far this summer. Whether the actual decisions match those forecasts will become clear soon enough as the regular season approaches.
