Eric Rowe
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Nelson Eric Rowe Jr. (born October 3, 1992) is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...
for the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
at
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
.


Early years

Rowe attended Doerre Intermediate in
Spring, Texas Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Houston in Harris County, Texas, United States, part of the metropolitan area. The population was 62,559 at the 2020 census. While the name "Spring" is popul ...
and
Klein High School Klein High School is a public high school located in Klein, Texas, United States, located approximately from Downtown Houston. It serves grades 9– 12 in the Klein Independent School District. The current principal of Klein High School is Bran ...
in
Klein, Texas Klein is an unincorporated community in Harris County, Texas, United States, roughly bordering Texas State Highway 99 to the north, Texas State Highway 249 to the west, Interstate 45 to the east, and the city of Houston to the south. It includes ...
. During his
high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
career, he had 207 tackles and nine
interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...
. He was rated by
Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
as a three-star recruit and was ranked as the 39th best safety in his class. He committed to the
University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...
to play
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
. Rowe also played basketball and ran track in high school.


College career

Rowe attended Utah from 2011 to 2014. He became a starter at
safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...
his freshman year. He started all 13 games, recording 69 tackles, an interception and a sack. As a sophomore, Rowe started 10 games, missing two due to injury. He had 64 tackles and one interception. As a junior, he again started all 12 games, finishing with 69 tackles and a half a sack. Prior to his senior season, Rowe was moved from safety to
cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...
. He started 10 of 12 games and had 59 tackles and one interception. For his career, Rowe started 45 of 47 games and had 261 tackles, three interceptions and 1.5 sacks.


Professional career


Philadelphia Eagles

The
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
selected Rowe in the second round (47th overall) of the
2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...
. Rowe was the sixth cornerback drafted in 2015. The Philadelphia Eagles traded their second round (52nd overall) and two fifth round picks (145th and 156th overall) to the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
in order to receive the Dolphins' second round pick (47th overall), that was used to draft Rowe, and sixth round pick (191st overall).


2015

On May 6, 2015, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Rowe to a four-year, $4.87 million
contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
that included a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $452,248. Throughout training camp, Rowe competed to be a starting cornerback against
Nolan Carroll Nolan Alexander Carroll II (born January 18, 1987) is a former American football cornerback. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland. He has also played for the Phil ...
. Head coach
Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl game a ...
named Rowe the third cornerback on the Eagles' depth chart to begin the regular season, behind
Byron Maxwell Byron S. Maxwell (born February 23, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, where he was a member of the Seahawks' defensive group known as the Legion of ...
and Nolan Carroll. He made his professional regular season debut in the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opening 26–24 loss at the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
. On September 27, 2015, Rowe recorded two combined tackles, broke up two passes, and made his first career interception off a pass attempt by Jets' quarterback
Geno Smith Eugene Cyril "Geno" Smith III (born October 10, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to multiple bowl game ...
during a 24–17 win at the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
in Week 3. The following week, he collected a season-high six combined tackles and deflected a pass in the Eagles' 23–20 loss at the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
in Week 4. On December 6, 2015, Rowe earned his first career start in place of Nolan Carroll who was inactive after breaking his ankle the previous week. He finished the Eagles' 35–28 win at the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in Week 13 with three solo tackles. On December 29, 2015, the Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Chip Kelly after they fell to a 6–9 record. He finished his rookie season in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
with 31 combined tackles (24 solo), five pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and five starts.


2016

On January 18, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles hired Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator
Doug Pederson Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Pederson spent most of his 13-season playing career as ...
as their new head coach. During training camp, Rowe competed to be a starting cornerback against Nolan Carroll,
Leodis McKelvin Leodis Anquan McKelvin (born September 4, 1985) is a former American football cornerback and return specialist. He played college football for Troy Trojans football, Troy University and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills 11th overall in the 2008 NF ...
, Jalen Mills, and
Ron Brooks Ron Brooks (born October 16, 1988) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at LSU. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and San Di ...
.


New England Patriots

On September 7, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Rowe to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in exchange for a conditional fourth-round (131st overall) draft pick in the
2018 NFL Draft The 2018 NFL Draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; it was the first draft ...
. Head coach
Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...
named Rowe the fifth cornerback on the depth chart, behind
Logan Ryan Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...
, Malcolm Butler,
Justin Coleman Justin Jamal Coleman (born March 27, 1993) is an American football cornerback and nickelback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an und ...
, and
Cyrus Jones Cyrus Diego Jones Jr. (born November 29, 1993) is a former American football cornerback and return specialist of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Alabama. He was drafted by the New England Pat ...
. Rowe was inactive for the first five games (Weeks 1–5) due to an ankle injury. In Week 7, he earned his first start as a member of the Patriots and recorded a season-high six combined tackles and broke up a pass during a 27–16 win at the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. He was inactive as a healthy scratch for the Patriots' Week 10 loss against the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...
. Rowe was sidelined during a Week 14 win against the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
due to a
hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...
injury. He finished the
2016 NFL season The 2016 NFL season was the 97th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL) and the 51st of the Super Bowl era. The season began on September 8, 2016, with defending Super Bowl 50 champion Denver defeating Carolina in the NF ...
with 26 combined tackles (20 solo), eight pass deflections, and an interception in nine games and seven starts. The New England Patriots finished the 2016 season first in the
AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in the d ...
with a 14–2 record and earned a first round bye. On January 14, 2017, Rowe appeared in his first career playoff game and recorded three solo tackles during a 34–16 win against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, the Patriots defeated the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
36–17 in the AFC Championship Game. Rowe finished the game with four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made one interception. On February 5, 2017, Rowe appeared in
Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 NFL season, 2016 season. The American Football Confer ...
with the New England Patriots and recorded four combined tackles and one pass deflection as the Patriots defeated the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...
34–28 in overtime. The game featured the largest comeback in Super Bowl history as the Patriots trailed the Falcons by 25 points in the third quarter.


2017

Throughout training camp, Rowe competed to be the first-team nickelback against Justin Coleman and Cyrus Jones. Head coach Bill Belichick named Rowe the third cornerback on the Patriots' depth chart to start the regular season, behind Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler. He was sidelined for the Patriots' Week 3 victory against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
due to a
groin In human anatomy, the groin (the adjective is ''inguinal'', as in inguinal canal) is the junctional area (also known as the inguinal region) between the abdomen and the thigh on either side of the pubic bone. This is also known as the medial comp ...
injury. Rowe further aggravated his groin injury and was inactive for seven games (Weeks 5–12). In Week 15, Rowe collected a season-high five solo tackles and broke up a pass in the Patriots' 27–24 win at the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
. Due to injuries, Rowe was limited to only eight games and three starts in
2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
and only recorded 15 combined tackles (14 solo) and two pass deflections. The
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
finished atop the AFC East with a 13–3 record in 2017, which earned them a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. On January 13, 2018, Rowe started his first career playoff game and made five combined tackles as the Patriots defeated the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
35–14 in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, he made four combined tackles and broke up a pass in a 24–20 win against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
in the AFC Championship Game. On February 4, 2018, Rowe started in
Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...
in place of Malcolm Butler. The coaching decision was heavily criticized among media and NFL analysts as Butler started throughout the entire season and was a key player in their
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
XLIX 49 (forty-nine) is the natural number following 48 and preceding 50. In mathematics Forty-nine is the square of seven. It appears in the Padovan sequence, preceded by the terms 21, 28, 37 (it is the sum of the first two of these). Along with ...
and LI victories. Rowe recorded four solo tackles and broke up two passes as the Patriots lost 41–33 to Rowe's former team, the
Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...
. An Eagles' coaching assistant stated that the Eagles' offense were planning on targeting Rowe prior to the game and Butler’s absence made that easier. The Eagles were planning to exploit a mismatch and predicted Rowe would have difficulty covering wide receiver
Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As a member of the ...
. Rowe allowed four receptions on nine targets for a team-high 80-yards and one touchdown in Super Bowl LII.


2018

Throughout training camp, Rowe competed to be a starting cornerback against
Jason McCourty Jason McCourty (born August 13, 1987) is a former American football cornerback who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round, 203rd overall, in the 2009 NFL Draft, he also played f ...
. Head coach Bill Belichick named Rowe and Stephon Gilmore the starting cornerbacks in 2018. On September 16, 2018, Rowe recorded three solo tackles before being benched in the first quarter of the Patriots' 31–20 loss at the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. Rowe was benched in favor of Jason McCourty after giving up three receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown. He was inactive for the next three games (Weeks 3–5) due to a groin injury. He played in the next two games before being placed on injured reserve on October 31, 2018 with the groin injury. Without Rowe, the Patriots reached
Super Bowl LIII Super Bowl LIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2018 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Confe ...
where they beat the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
13–3.


Miami Dolphins


2019

On March 14, 2019, the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
signed Rowe to a one-year, $3.50 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $500,000. As a result, Rowe was reunited with new Dolphins’ head coach
Brian Flores Brian Francisco Flores (born February 24, 1981) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career with the New England Patriots, where he serve ...
, who had previously been a linebackers coach with the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. In Week 7, Rowe began playing strong safety due to calf injury to
Reshad Jones Reshad Monquez Jones (born February 25, 1988) is a former American football strong safety. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia. Early years Resha ...
. On December 2, 2019, the Miami Dolphins signed Rowe to a three-year, $16.15 million contract extension season to remain with them throughout the 2022 NFL season. The contract includes $6.57 million guaranteed and a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $2.10 million. In week 17 against the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
, Rowe intercepted a pass thrown by former teammate
Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...
and returned it for a 35-yard pick six during the 27–24 win.


2020

In Week 8 against the
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, Rowe recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by
Jared Goff Jared Thomas Goff (born October 14, 1994) is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at California, where he set the Pac-12 Conference season records for passing ...
during the 28–17 win.


References



External links


Utah Utes bio
*https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-dolphins/fl-sp-dolphins-eric-rowe-20190313-story.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowe, Eric 1992 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Miami Dolphins players New England Patriots players People from Spring, Texas Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Cleveland Players of American football from Texas Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas Utah Utes football players Klein High School alumni