Veteran S Eric Rowe helped bail the Pittsburgh Steelers out from drowning themselves at the end of last season. Facing injuries to Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal, and Trenton Thompson and a suspension for Damontae Kazee, he came up from the practice squad to start the final three games of the regular season.
While QB Mason Rudolph deserves an immense amount of credit for getting the Steelers back on track after a losing streak, one must also acknowledge the degree to which the ad hoc back end kept things together. And Rowe played a huge part in that, playing alongside not-a-safety Patrick Peterson.
In three games, he played more than 150 snaps, logging 29 tackles with a forced fumble and interception. Rowe also started in the Steelers’ postseason game, adding another eight tackles and a pass defensed.
Head coach Mike Tomlin consistently praised his play after each game, his approval readily apparent. Even at the end of the season, when asked about continuing to do business with Rowe and ILB Myles Jack, he said that he was “certainly” interested.
But according to Rowe, at least in his case, the matter is on the team end. The ball is in the Steelers’ court. Earlier this month, responding to a Tweet from a fan asking if he is returning to the team, he responded, “I’m trying to”, accompanied by a laughing with tears emoji. This is the only post on his social media since the end of the season. Well, it’s the only one pertaining to football, minus a family Valentine’s Day Instagram post.
A second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, Rowe started 56 of 100 games in his first eight seasons. He’s bounced around the league some but played for the Miami Dolphins from 2019-2022.
Briefly employed by the Carolina Panthers, they released him from their practice squad on September 19. He spent the next two months out of the NFL before the Steelers signed him to their practice squad, where he remained for the rest of the season. However, they used four elevations, including the playoffs, to allow him to start when they needed him.
His practice squad contract expired roughly two months ago, and he’s been a free agent since then. Teams have so far shown little to no interest in the soon-to-be 32-year-old. At this point in his career, I find it hard to imagine he has much in the way of salary demands.
Rather it seems, at least for now, the Steelers believe they can wait on deciding whether to bring him back. He likely returns if they offer him a Veteran Salary Benefit deal, but are they waiting until after the draft? Perhaps they’ve simply moved on.
Since the end of the season, the Steelers released Keanu Neal and replaced him with DeShon Elliott, who likely starts. They retain Fitzpatrick, Kazee, and Thompson, as well as Miles Killebrew, from last season. Even if they re-sign Eric Rowe, he has no guarantees to make the team. But he sounds like he would love to have the opportunity to try.
