Here’s what new Patriot Eric Rowe brings to the secondary
Bill Belichick described the defensive back's strengths, but said his role is not yet determined.
The Patriots continued their recent active trend with the acquisition of defensive back Eric Rowe from the Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
The move came just after the team traded for linebacker Barkevious Mingo, formerly of the Browns, and the two players fit the mold of typical Bill Belichick targets: heralded players with talent who were unable to find success at their last stop. As we saw with Aqib Talib and Akiem Ayers, this tactic has worked out in the past for the Patriots.
Belichick spoke Thursday about what the team saw in Rowe.
“Eric played safety and corner in college, so he has got some versatility,” Belichick said. “He has played mainly corner in this league, but you know, has some length. We’ll see how it goes but I think he has some positional versatility, a smart kid, has got some length, has some speed.”
These were all well-known traits touted by scouts when Rowe was coming out of college, and made the Utah product worthy of a second round pick. Rowe’s athleticism manifested itself in college as the ability to play both cornerback and safety, and position versatility is certainly a quality the Patriots seek in their players.
In New England, Rowe will likely be asked to use his length, strength and speed in press coverage situations, like Talib did, when he is called upon – regardless of position.
Belichick also said that he didn’t know whether Rowe would play cornerback or safety yet in New England, but that the team was giving him a crash course to prepare him for a “smaller role” in week one, as they did with Mingo.
The Patriots also love to take a chance on players who have played well against them, like Scott Chandler last season.
“It was a bad day for us,” Belichick said, of Rowe’s first career NFL start in which the Eagles upset the Patriots in Foxborough last season. “I remember that, so yeah, he was definitely part of it.”
Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz clarified that the trade had less to do with their own dissatisfaction with the player than it did with the development of another player behind him squeezing him off the roster.
Whether he flames out for the team as Chandler did, or thrives like Talib did, remains to be seen.
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