The Buffalo Bills have two established starters at the safety position who each make up half of one of the best safety duos in the NFL. Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde each had tremendous years in 2017, so the goal for the coaching staff is to find solid depth to back up the incumbent starters.
In the latest installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we look at one of those safeties competing for the right to back up Poyer and Hyde.
Name: Dean Marlowe
Number: 31
Position: S
Height/Weight: 6’1” 209 lbs.
Age: 25
Experience: 2
College: James Madison
Draft: Joined the Carolina Panthers as a UDFA in 2015
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Marlowe enters the year on a non-guaranteed contract—it’s a one-year, $555,000 deal.
2017 Recap: Marlowe began the season with the Carolina Panthers, but he was waived with an injury designation in August. He signed to Buffalo’s practice squad on December 5, but he was not activated by the team.
Positional outlook: The safety position is one of the stronger groups on the Bills’ roster, with the aforementioned starting duo at the top of the depth chart. Veteran Rafael Bush signed this offseason, and the team also invested a fifth-round draft pick on Jacksonville State product Siran Neal. Marlowe is probably no better than the fifth man up, in a three-way tie with both Kelcie and L.J. McCray.
2018 Offseason: Little has been written about Marlowe, although Chris Brown noted that he is familiar with head coach Sean McDermott’s defense due to the pair’s time spent together in Carolina.
2018 season outlook: While Marlowe is obviously familiar with the defensive scheme, it will take much more than knowledge of the coverages for him to break camp with the team this season. He faces an uphill battle to making the 53-man roster this fall.