Already down two safeties and possibly CB James Pierre as well, the Pittsburgh Steelers could once again find themselves turning to the streets for help. Having signed veteran Eric Rowe to the practice squad, it would not be a great surprise if he were elevated for Sunday’s game.
Though he’s only been here a very short time, officially signing on Monday, he’s ready for it. And he also understands where the Steelers are within their season, sitting at 6-4 and in that uncertain middle ground to make a run at the postseason.
“When it comes to mid-November, after Thanksgiving, each game is doubled”, he said, via Teresa Varley for the team’s website. “However they want to plug me, if they want to bring me up, I know what this time of year means. Especially when it comes to the AFC North. It’s really hot right now. Each game really counts”.
A former second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Rowe has bounced around the league a big, but he also knows what the playoffs are all about. He made two deep runs during his tenure with the New England Patriots in 2016 and 2017, winning the first year. He also played in the postseason in 2022 with the Miami Dolphins. But he’s equally excited for the opportunity to play in Pittsburgh.
“This is a pretty historic program”, he said. “I played against the Steelers a couple of times in my career. One thing I always liked was the physicality, hard-nosed, tough team every year. That is the brand. Even growing up watching, that was always something in my mind”.
“When I got the call from the Steelers, of course I wanted to play for them”, he added. “What better program to go to a physical team that is hard-nosed football”.
Rowe has played against the Steelers four times, including just last season with the Dolphins, winning that game and going 3-1 overall. He has 18 tackles and three passes defensed when playing Pittsburgh, though he has not recorded an interception.
The 31-year-old has five of them in his career, and perhaps he’ll get a chance to record one with his fourth different team on Sunday if the Steelers elect to elevate him to shore up their defensive back depth.
The struggle, of course, is the fact that he has only been here for under a week. A nine-year veteran, one would expect him to be able to pick things up rather quickly, though, and they didn’t wait too long before allowing rookie CB Darius Rush to contribute.
If Rowe is not elevated, another option is Jalen Elliott, a second-year safety out of Notre Dame, who spent a few weeks with the team in training camp and then the past several weeks on the team’s practice squad.
