Damar Hamlin's near-death experience apparently brought him even closer to his Cincinnati buddies ... 'cause the Buffalo Bills safety spent part of his offseason hanging with the Bengals' trio of star receivers -- including Tee Higgins -- less than five months after his on-field collapse.
Of course, Hamlin was already tight with receiver Tyler Boyd ... as the two grew up playing against each other on the youth football field in Pennsylvania.
But, the longtime pals were joined by fellow Bengals route runners Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase when they decided to take a trip to the desert sometime recently .