Why the Miami Dolphins should re-sign safety Eric Rowe

NFL free agency begins in one week and four hours as of this writing. Currently, the Miami Dolphins are $13.5 over the cap since they released Cethan Carter yesterday. This is the not-so-fun part of the business that all teams go through. I know that the Miami Dolphins are going to be releasing more players so that they can go ahead and sign other players. I just hope that safety Eric Rowe gets resigned.

You may find it odd that I have such an affinity for a backup safety who is 30 years old and finished fulfilling a 3-year $16M contract whose best days are probably behind him. I just have a thing for a player that I know brings a lot to a secondary that is mostly made up of young and unproven guys.

Sure, the Dolphins will probably be bringing in another corner in free agency and they may even draft one. I feel that Eric Rowe still has value on this team.

Last year, Eric Rowe started 6 games and played in 14. He wasn’t slated to be a starter but due to injuries to Brandon Jones and others, he was asked to do that. He didn’t put up incredible stats or anything but I felt he made an impact when he was in there and that he wasn’t anywhere close to a weak link in the defense.

I fondly recall two plays that illustrate the kind of player Eric Rowe is today. First was this against Houston

Okay, that game was pretty much in hand and it was the Texans.

But how about the play he made in the playoff game against the Bills?

Eric Rowe may not come off the edge as ferocious as Brandon Jones but he did strip sack Josh Allen and gave the Dolphins the lead in a game where not a soul had Miami being able to compete.

The former corner who was converted to safety a few years back has always done everything asked of him and has given everything he has had. He once was dubbed the tight-end eraser a few years back. He may not take away the elite tight ends in the league but not many do that. He does well in coverage and is a very willing tackler.

That and the fact the 2023 Miami Dolphins no matter who they sign in free agency or draft are looking to win the whole thing next year. I know a few of you are going to be quick to crack your really funny jokes about Tunot being able to lead the Dolphins and maybe you’ll be right about that.

My point is if this team is in win-no-mode, which I clearly think they are, you need to have quality depth especially after watching the secondary lose player after player last year.

Yeah, you can replace Eric Rowe with a slightly cheaper guy. And maybe you can make the argument that Rowe doesn’t fit in a Vic Fangio-style defense. I don’t think we know too much about Fangio will operate this particular cast of defenders he will have at his disposal. We all thought Mike McDaniel would have the run-game humming and look what happened with that.

I’d rather go into a win-the-whole-thing type of season with quality depth that can come in and start if need be instead of hoping that guys who were only looked at as special teams guys have to play important snaps.

I don’t think Eric Rowe’s contract would be too much and you get a guy who has a great deal of chemistry with the other guys on defense. Sign him to a 1-year deal and know you’re getting a guy that will give lay it all out there.

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