On the heels of a dramatic win over the Tennessee Titans, the Bills added veteran quarterback Derek Anderson to their 53-man roster. He signed a one-year deal with Buffalo.
Anderson, who was last with the Carolina Panthers during the 2017 season, is expected to serve as a mentor to rookie QB Josh Allen.
"First and foremost, he's a team first guy," said Bills head coach Sean McDermott. "A guy that has been around, whether as a starter or a backup. A lot of football over the years. He's got a good outlook on the game from an offensive standpoint. He understands defenses. So there's just a lot of value to it in terms of where we are right now in that quarterback room.
Both GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott are wholly familiar with Anderson as a player having spent the better part of six seasons around Anderson. The veteran signal caller served as Cam Newton's backup with the Panthers organization from 2011 to 2016.
"I think highly of Derek having been around him in Carolina and how he not only played, but also was a primary backup and helped Cam (Newton) in his learning curve," McDermott said. "I was on the defensive side so I wasn't in the room there, but he's a good quarterback who has played and also backed up so he's got some good wisdom stored up in that brain."
Anderson is also familiar with offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, with whom he spent the 2009 season in Cleveland. Daboll was the offensive play-caller and Anderson appeared in eight games making seven starts.
The 35-year old was a former sixth-round pick of Baltimore in 2005, but spent the first half of his career with Cleveland and the second half in Carolina with a one-year stopover in Arizona in 2010.
To make room for Anderson on the active roster, the Bills released safety Dean Marlowe.
The Bills also added tight end Keith Towbridge to the practice squad and released cornerback Michael Hunter.
