PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed safety Eric Rowe to their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. The Steelers had hosted Rowe for a tryout last week.
Rowe, 32, is a two-time former Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots. He played three games with the Steelers last season after a series of injuries beset their safety position.
A 6-foot-1, 205 pound defensive back, Rowe has played as a box safety, free safety and slot cornerback in his NFL career. Originally a second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, Rowe was traded to the Patriots in 2016, where he won Super Bowls after the 2016 and 2018 seasons.
After winning his second ring, Rowe signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, and then inked a deal with Carolina before the 2023 season, but was cut early in the season.
Rowe had been out of the league for two months when the Steelers came calling, with injuries to Minkah Fitzpatrick, Keanu Neal and Trenton Thompson and Damontae Kazee suspended, leaving the veteran Rowe as an “off the couch” starter, as head coach Mike Tomlin put it.
Rowe played for the Steelers in wins over the Cincinnati Bengals, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, starting all three and recording 22 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, two passes defended and an interception in the win over Cincinnati.
Second @steelers INT of the night!
📺: #CINvsPIT on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/yewPow3ekF pic.twitter.com/9gpm6FKVnR— NFL (@NFL) December 23, 2023
Rowe also started the playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, even after Kazee had returned from his suspension.
This year, the Steelers are healthy at the safety position, with Kazee and Miles Killebrew providing depth behind Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott. Rowe will replace the depth lost when Terrell Edmunds was recently released.