Bills’ Hamlin cleared to return

Wearing a red woolen cap and a Bills blue pullover, Hamlin sat at the podium on Tuesday and said his heart — the one that stopped beating some four months ago during a game in Cincinnati — was, as he put it, “still in the game.”

“This was a life-changing event, but it’s not the end of my story,” Hamlin said. “I plan on making a comeback to the NFL.”

Addressing reporters for the first time since going into cardiac arrest and having to be resuscitated on the field, Hamlin reflected on the anxious moments he’s endured, his inner drive to not let fear stand in his way and how he no longer takes a minute of his life for granted.

“The ‘wow’ moment is every day just being able to wake up and just take deep breaths and live a peaceful life, to have a family and people that are around me that love me,” said Hamlin, who has been medically cleared to play and is taking part in the start of the Bills’ voluntary workout program.

“They almost lost me. Like I died on national TV, you know what I mean?” he added. “So that right there is the biggest blessing of it all, for me to still have my people, and my people still have me.”

General manager Brandon Beane announced earlier in the day that Hamlin was medically cleared to return to football after the 25-year-old met with a third and final specialist on Friday. All three agreed Hamlin could resume playing without any fear of setbacks or complications. While the Bills had their head athletic trainer sit in on those meetings, Beane said the team is following the lead of the specialists.

“He’s such a great kid and has such a great family, and it’s exciting to go from a guy who was fighting for his life to now,” Beane said. “His story hasn’t been written. Now it’s about his comeback.”

CLEVELAND — Former NFL defensive end Chris Smith, who was touched by tragedy while he played for the Cleveland Browns, has died. He was 31.

Smith’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and the Browns confirmed his passing on Tuesday. The cause of death was not immediately known.

“Rest in Peace Chris,” Rosenhaus wrote on Twitter. “Condolences to all his family, friends and loved ones. We will miss you.”

Smith played for the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons this season. He previously spent eight seasons in the NFL with Jacksonville, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Houston.

While Smith was with the Browns in 2019, his girlfriend, Petara Cordero, was killed when she was hit by a car after she exited the vehicle he was driving. Cordero was standing on the road’s shoulder when the vehicle driven by a 47-year-old woman smashed into the passenger side of Smith’s car.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said the team has no reservations about Bryce Young’s size as it begins to finalize a decision on who’ll be the No. 1 overall pick in next week’s NFL draft.

The Panthers are also considering three other quarterbacks — Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis — but Young has emerged as the strong favorite despite his 5-foot-10 stature.

Young is listed as a strong favorite to be the top pick, per Fan Duel Sportsbook.

Fitterer compared Young to the 5-foot-11 Russell Wilson, whom he helped draft in 2012 while a member of the Seattle Seahawks front office. Wilson has won a Super Bowl and is a nine-time Pro Bowl selection.

“When Russell Wilson came out he had three balls batted down his senior year; Bryce had two,” Fitterer said Tuesday during a pre-draft news conference. “It doesn’t seem to be an issue. When you grow up a shorter quarterback you learn how to evolve your game and adapt and see the field. And he’s done that.”

STEELERS: The Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers are working on a deal that would send wide receiver Allen Robinson to Pittsburgh. A source with knowledge of the pending agreement tells the Associated Press that Los Angeles would send Robinson and a seventh-round pick in the draft to the Steelers for one of Pittsburgh’s two seventh-round picks. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal is not official until Robinson passes a physical.

PACKERS: Derrick Coleman, who became the NFL’s first legally deaf offensive player a decade ago, has joined the Green Bay Packers’ football operations staff as an assistant to player engagement. Packers executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball announced the hire Tuesday. Coleman lost his hearing at age 3 and began playing football in middle school.