PITTSBURGH — The Steelers made several moves to add veterans Earlier in the week, overshadowed by all the chaos around Matt Canada’s dismissal. One of those veterans was a former Super Bowl Champion, Eric Rowe, who played for multiple teams over the years.
Rowe adds veteran insurance with Keanu Neal and Elijah Riley on injured reserve. More than that, Trenton Thompson’s strong permeance should give Pittsburgh some quality confidence. But one injury could snap the entire effect at safety, with Damontae Kazee and Thompson likely being the starters as they wait for Minkah Fitzpatrick to return.
Rowe, 31, has played for the Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins since coming into the league as a second-round pick of the Eagles out of Utah in 2015.
A 6-foot-1, 205-pound defensive back, Rowe has split his career playing time equally between outside cornerback, slot cornerback and strong safety, while also spending time at free safety and linebacker. He’s excited to play for the Steelers.
“It’s pretty nice when you go to a team that historically has always been a stable program,” Rowe said. “It’s been tough and physical. I’ve played the Steelers in the past multiple times and it’s never easy. So, going to a program like this, you don’t get to pick where you play, but when they called me, I was like, “Dang, I get a chance to play for the Steelers.'”
Last season with the Miami Dolphins, he played 248 snaps at strong safety, 188 as a slot corner, 30 as a linebacker, 57 as a free safety and 44 as an outside corner.
In his eight-year NFL career, Rowe has played in 100 games and made 56 starts. He has recorded 381 tackles, 41 passes defended, seven tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, two sacks, six forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
He won Super Bowls LI and LIII with the New England Patriots and has been a multi-year teammate of Steelers linebacker Elandon Roberts. That relationship goes back and will make Rowe comfortable in the locker room to start.
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