When Eric Rowe first signed with the Miami Dolphins this spring, his addition was viewed at as a low-risk roll of the dice to potentially solve the void at cornerback opposite Xavien Howard. In the 12 games Rowe has been on the roster, he’s most certainly stepped up to help fill a void in the secondary — just not the one at cornerback. Instead, Rowe has thrived since moving back to play safety and now, according to ESPN, the Dolphins are rewarding him for his strong play in the form of a 3-year contract extension.
Initial reports place Rowe’s new deal at $18M and with $7M in guaranteed cash. That figure serves as nearly double what Rowe signed to play for in Miami this season, he signed a 1-year, $3.075M contract back in March to come down to South Florida along with head coach Brian Flores. Rowe’s successes in the NFL have been mired with injury issues, although when he’s been on the field in the past he’s been a solid player. But Rowe has done something this season that he’d never done in three seasons with the Patriots — play in double digit games.
Durability is something Miami will need to be wary of, but for the value Rowe brings to Miami’s strong safety position, an annual average of $6M is money well spent. Look for Miami for bring in some cheap, rookie labor to serve as depth behind Rowe this offseason, but Rowe will almost certainly step into the Reshad Jones role on a full-time basis once Miami officially parts ways with the veteran safety.
With a career high in tackles (59) already to his credit, Rowe’s showing in Miami should serve as yet another example of the promise of what this coaching staff can bring to young, talented players as Brian Flores and company have more and more time to work with them in a hands on capacity.
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