Getty Buffalo Bills safety Dean Marlowe celebrates after making an interception against the Miami Dolphins.
Dean Marlowe will be back for a third stint with the Buffalo Bills.
The team announced on May 22 that the veteran safety was re-signing with the team. Marlowe rejoined the team at the trade deadline last year in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons, appearing in four games before hitting free agency following the end of the season. He will now be back to compete for a spot at safety and special teams for the Bills.
Veteran Safety’s Third Time in Buffalo
After entering the league in 2015 as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison University, Madison spent time with the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions before joining the Bills in 2018. He played three seasons in Buffalo, mostly as a reserve safety and special teams regular, but took on a more significant role in 2020 when he started two games. Marlowe made two interceptions that season and 22 tackles, including two tackles for a loss and two quarterback hits.
Marlowe played for the Detroit Lions in 2021, starting nine games and making 67 tackles. He joined the Falcons last season but returned to Buffalo in a trade-deadline deal.
Marlowe became a popular player with fans, and his wife’s response to their return to Buffalo last season drew some viral attention. Marlana Marlowe took to Instagram to share an emotional post about returning to Buffalo.
Marlana Marlowe is very happy to be coming back. This is also what the Bills have built. A backbone to support family so they want to be here. Make it home. Its a culture inside and out of the building.
“I’m ugly crying,” she wrote. “I hope I don’t go into labor today but I can’t even begin to express how grateful we are for ALL the love and support we’ve been receiving. My heart is exploding. All I can say is we’re so happy to be back with our true football fam and LFG BILLS.”
Bills Add Depth at Safety
Marlowe returns to a position that has gotten deeper this offseason. The Bills brought back All-Pro Jordan Poyer, who once appeared to be headed out of Buffalo as he hit free agency. Poyer had shared a goodbye of sorts with fans prior to the start of free agency, but later returned to Buffalo on a two-year contract worth up to $14.5 million.
The Bills added former Los Angeles Rams safety Taylor Rapp, who was a full-time starter for the Super Bowl champion team in 2021 and again in 2022.
WROC-TV’s Thad Brown shared some praise for the move, writing that the Bills gained a versatile defender who could play a hybrid safety/linebacker role and brought an upgrade over some of the young players who filled in when Micah Hyde and Poyer were injured.
“Former Rams 2nd round pick was 2021-22 starter,” the reporter tweeted. “More in the box type. Good tackler. Not as good in coverage, but PFF has generally liked him. Real good depth move. Team had to rely on kids when Hyde/Poyer hurt last year. Not anymore.”
But Marlowe has also been highly valued by the Bills’ front office. After last year’s trade deadline, general manager Bradon Beane said the team looked carefully for an addition at safety and saw Marlowe as the best fit.
“Brandon Beane said the team was looking at 10 other safeties before the trade deadline. He thought in the end Dean Marlowe was the best fit in the end,” Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino tweeted.