Damar Hamlin donned a helmet and fully participated in an OTA practice that was open to the media for the first time on Tuesday.

It marked a significant step toward playing football for the Buffalo Bills safety after suffering cardiac arrest during a game at the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 2.

Brandon Beane said Hamlin first put on his helmet during the final practice session last week, which made his first day of wearing a helmet last Wednesday.

"Really proud of him to take that next step," Beane said.

"[I] texted his parents [Nina and Mario Hamlin] afterwards, like, just so proud of him and thrilled for where he's at in his journey. He's still got more milestones to hit, but to think back, we're just at the beginning of June and that was the beginning of January, and we were just hoping he'd live, and now he's not only got a normal life, but we're talking about playing, not any football, NFL football. So, thrilled for him, all the people that have been around him, and it's an amazing story."