Former Dolphins safety Eric Rowe finds next landing spot in free agency

Veteran safety Eric Rowe’s time in Miami is over.

He has agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, the team announced.

The Dolphins appeared unlikely to bring Rowe back once they signed fellow safety DeShon Elliott. Elliott appears primed to compete with strong safety Brandon Jones for playing time alongside rising third-year player Jevon Holland.

Rowe spent the past four seasons in Miami — all three of ex-coach Brian Flores’ tenure at the helm for the Dolphins and the 2022 campaign with Mike McDaniel as head coach while Josh Boyer remained defensive coordinator.

Those four seasons netted 299 of his 381 career tackles, three interceptions — one for a touchdown — six forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 25 pass deflections. In his last appearance for the Dolphins, he had a strip-sack on Bills quarterback Josh Allen that resulted in a Zach Sieler touchdown in the playoff loss at Buffalo.

After starting 29 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Rowe started just 11 games over the past two years, including the postseason appearance. Midseason last year, he was a healthy inactive for the Dolphins’ Oct. 30 win at the Detroit Lions largely because he’s not a special teams contributor. Rowe ended up getting special teams snaps the five weeks that followed.

Before coming to Miami ahead of the 2019 season, Rowe spent the previous three seasons as a cornerback for the New England Patriots, where he won two Super Bowls while coached by Flores and Boyer. Rowe is a second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2015 draft, spending his rookie season there.

Along with Holland, Jones and Elliott, the Dolphins return 2022 undrafted rookie Verone McKinley III, who can compete in a safety rotation. Elijah Campbell is a special-teamer and versatile defensive back who can play either safety or cornerback.

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