Buffalo Bills 2023 Free Agent Profile: Dean Marlowe

The safety position was one of the hardest hit with injuries this season for the Buffalo Bills. Prior to the scary injury suffered by Damar Hamlin against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills saw Micah Hyde be lost for the season after suffering a neck injury in Week 2.

In addition, Jordan Poyer suffered a number of injuries that forced him to be in and out of the lineup and the Buffalo Bills needed depth at the position. This resulted in general manager Brandon Beane reaching a deal with the Atlanta Falcons to bring back veteran Dean Marlowe right before the trade deadline.

Dean Marlowe began his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent and played a few seasons under Sean McDermott, who was the defensive coordinator at the time. He would follow McDermott to the Buffalo Bills in 2017 as a member of the practice squad before eventually becoming a key backup behind Hyde and Poyer for three seasons.

He would leave in free agency to sign with the Detroit Lions in 2021 and started nine games that season and this past offseason signed with the Atlanta Falcons. However, he wouldn’t last the whole season in Atlanta after the Bills traded a seventh round pick to bring Marlowe back.

Marlowe would appear in four regular season games and make one start before starting both playoff games. He would finish with seven total tackles and one interception in those playoff games.

Should the Buffalo Bills re-sign Dean Marlowe this offseason?

There is no question that Dean Marlowe knows this defense and the Buffalo Bills believe enough in him to trade a draft pick to bring him back to Buffalo. However, at this point, he should probably not be considered anything more than a depth player at the position.

This is not to diminish what he does and the Bills certainly need depth at the safety position. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Marlowe return but he is probably a player that doesn’t get re-signed until after free agency and the NFL Draft and closer to OTAs.