The Buffalo Bills opened the 2024 campaign with a 34-28 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, and it's safe to say after a busy offseason, their team has quite a few new faces. One guy who isn't a new face is Damar Hamlin, but he finds himself in a new role with the team, as he earned the team's starting free safety job ahead of the start of the season.

While Hamlin is obviously a talented football player, he's mostly known for nearly dying on the field during the 2022 season when he suffered cardiac arrest during a Bills contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. Hamlin thankfully managed to survive and make a return to the field, but now that he's back, he made it clear that he wants to be known for more than nearly losing his life during a game of football.

“I don't want to be just known as the player who lived. My story is my story. It's still being written. But I want to be known for my abilities as well. I've always had big goals on and off the field. I have so much more that I want to accomplish. People move on with their life and they think about it when they see me. I can't move on. It's a part of me. I do still have flashbacks sometimes. And within my day-to-day, I definitely think about it. I've learned to appreciate those moments in my life. But when I play a game now, those three hours, I'm only thinking about football.” – Damar Hamlin, NFL.com

Damar Hamlin continuing to grow in the NFL with the Bills

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) looks to tackle Arizona Cardinals running back Trey Benson (33) running with the ball during the first half at Highmark Stadium
Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
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In the wake of his scary incident, the focus was on Hamlin's health. But now that he's back to 100 percent and playing football again, he wants to accomplish quite a few things in the NFL. Now that he's back in a full-time starter role for Buffalo's defense, it's safe to say that there are going to be some expectations surrounding Hamlin on the field.

That's just the way he wants it to be, though, as he will look to recapture the form he was in prior to suffering cardiac arrest in 2022, when he racked up 91 tackles and 1.5 sacks over 15 games of action. And if Hamlin can continue to find his footing in the NFL with the Bills, he could end up playing a big role in their quest to win a Super Bowl this year.