Atlanta Falcons Sign Ex-Lions Safety Dean Marlowe

The Falcons add depth to their secondary.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 1, 2022

The Atlanta Falcons bolstered their secondary this week by signing safety Dean Marlowe to a one-year contract.

USATSI_17345867 — Isaiah J. Downing/USA Today Sports

Dean Marlowe

USATSI_16976007 — David Reginek/USA Today Sports

Dean Marlowe (right)

USATSI_15863929 — Jamie Germano/USA Today Sports

Dean Marlowe

According to Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson, the contract is valued at $1.187 million for the 2022 season.

Marlowe, who turns 30 in July, is entering his seventh year in the NFL with four teams and third in three years. He started his career in 2015 as an undrafted free agent with the Carolina Panthers, but played seldomly on special teams in his first two years in the league.

He found a home in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills, spending time there from 2018-20. In 2020, he played in all but one game for the Bills, and recorded the first two interceptions of his career to go with 1.5 sacks and 22 tackles.

This led to a new contract with the Detroit Lions in 2021, where he saw a significant increase in playing time. Marlowe played in all but one game for the Lions, making nine starts and recording a career-high 67 tackles.

According to Pro Football Focus, Marlowe allowed just 172 receiving yards last season, ranking 10th-lowest in the NFL.

Dean Marlowe only allowed 172 receiving yards this past season 👀

Ranked 10th least in 2021 regular season
(min. 350 coverage snaps) pic.twitter.com/MNHyywnEGX
— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) March 12, 2022

Richie Grant

Erik Harris

A.J. Terrell

In Atlanta, Marlowe is set to join second-year pro Richie Grant, who was drafted 35th overall by the Falcons in 2021, and Erik Harris, another veteran who re-signed with the team earlier in the offseason.

It's uncertain how much Marlowe will factor into the Falcons secondary, but if he continues this upward trajectory from the past two years, he's headed for a good amount of playing time in Atlanta.

Published Apr 1, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.