A conversation with Dolphins safety Eric Rowe as Miami prepares for 2021 regular season
Dolphins safety Eric Rowe is one of a handful of players who have been with coach Brian Flores for the length of his tenure in Miami.
Rowe signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins before the 2019 season, reuniting with Flores, with whom he had spent the previous three years in New England. Toward the end of an impressive first season in which he moved from cornerback to safety, the Dolphins and Rowe agreed to a three-year extension through the 2022 season.
Rowe has been a versatile piece on a defense that led the league in takeaways last season, playing as a deep safety and also playing closer to the line of scrimmage and covering tight ends. His 91 combined tackles ranked second on the Dolphins in 2020.
Rowe spoke to the Miami Herald after a recent training camp practice about the Dolphins entering Year 3 under Flores, impressions of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and more. This interview has been lightly condensed for clarity.
MH: What are your impressions of where this team is and what sold you to join this organization with Flores?
ER: From 2019 till now, it’s a big jump. Talent-wise, coming together team-wise, it’s been a huge jump. Hopefully, obviously, you’ve got to keep building up to that. Coming here, I was a free agent. Honestly, I was coming off [injured reserve] that year. I didn’t have a lot of offers. I mean, it’s hard to get offers when you’re on IR, right? But [it was] my relationship with Flores and [defensive coordinator] Josh Boyer when they got hired down here. Obviously, I’ve been working with them for three years prior. So, they knew what my talent could be when I was healthy. I was really happy that they gave me a chance to come back and kind of show the NFL that I could still play even after injury and kind of build from there.
MH: As someone who grew up in Ohio and was in some cold-weather places, is there also more of an appreciation for being in this location, too?
ER: Yeah. Even in Boston in the winter, it was rough. So coming down here when it’s December and I can still go to the beach, that’s a good feeling.
MH: We’ve seen you play deep safety. We’ve seen you be in the slot and cover guys. What do you like most about this defense?
ER: Being versatile, I can show the coaches and other teams that I can play deep. If you need me to cover a receiver, I’ll do that. Cover tight end, I’ll do that. If I’m in the box, I got to do that. I can play multiple positions. One game, I was in safety one half, corner the second half. Someone got hurt, I went back to safety all in the same game. Having them put me in spots where I can succeed, it’s always a good feeling.
MH: To a lot of outsiders, you all surprised people doubling your win total. How would you describe the 2020 season and what is the mindset coming into this 2021 season?
ER: Last year was a good season. We started off slow though, picked it up. As a defense, we bonded and we had that nice win streak and toward the end of the season, kind of fell off. The goal for this season is to start faster, create that bond, chemistry and finish strong toward the end of the season when it matters.
MH: You started your career playing cornerback and then moved to safety. What was the biggest part of the change and when did you really feel comfortable?
ER: I played safety my whole college career except my last year. When I switched back because we had some injuries [in 2020], it wasn’t really anything totally new to me, being back there and seeing the field from a different angle. And then once I got really comfortable with it, I started excelling a little bit more than at corner and that’s when they made the permanent switch. I really started focusing on like run game stuff and then obviously keeping pass coverage intact and it’s been working well for me.
MH: You’ve played with some experienced quarterbacks. Where have you seen the most growth from Tua Tagovailoa?
ER: His confidence. The way he’s throwing the ball. He’s always had a good throwing arm, accuracy. His confidence to zip it in or throw the deep ball.
MH: What do you like to do when you’re away from the team facility?
ER: I actually like to read up on — it’s kind of nerdy — I like to read up on real estate, commercial real estate, how that whole business works in and out. I like to get hands-on. That’s stuff I just really enjoy.
MH: Have you put your money in some properties or is that something you’re looking at post-career?
ER: I have money in some properties here in Florida and some in the Midwest, like some office towers. Yeah, I’ve got my money in different spots.
This story was originally published September 6, 2021 at 6:55 AM with the headline "A conversation with Dolphins safety Eric Rowe as Miami prepares for 2021 regular season."
