Report: safety Dean Marlowe returning to Buffalo Bills

According to a tweet from NFL Draft Diamonds, the Buffalo Bills are re-signing veteran safety Dean Marlowe. NYUpstate seconded the report, as well.

Marlowe, who turns 28 in July, originally came to Buffalo in December 2017. He joined the team as a member of the practice squad after spending the first two-plus years of his professional career as a member of the Carolina Panthers.

While Marlowe has played sparingly with Buffalo, having only appeared in 11 games over the last two years, he has been a very strong reserve when pressed into action. In 2018, he started against the Tennessee Titans when starter Micah Hyde was out. Marlowe played every snap of that game, making four tackles and breaking up a pass in Buffalo’s 13-12 victory.

This year, Marlowe’s role increased, albeit slightly, as he appeared in nine games, playing on 108 defensive snaps. The majority of those snaps (55) came in the season-ending loss to the New York Jets. He actually appeared on more defensive snaps than veteran Kurt Coleman, who only played 70 snaps on defense while serving as a special teams stalwart for all 16 games.

Terms of Marlowe’s deal were not disclosed, although we’d guess that it’s for the league minimum.