Eric Rowe says Miami Dolphins have taken ‘big jump’ in talent since 2019 season

Miami Dolphins safety Eric Rowe believes the team has taken a big leap in terms of talent since 2019.

“From 2019 till now, it’s a big jump,” Rowe told the Miami Herald‘s Daniel Oyefusi. “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 [Brian] 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.”

The 2019 season was Rowe’s first with the Dolphins. Since then, he has witnessed a lot of the organization’s growth.

The Dolphins went just 5-11 in Rowe’s first season with the team. However, Miami took a big step forward in 2020, finishing 10-6 and narrowly missing the postseason.

Rowe has been a key defensive piece for the Dolphins since joining the team. In the 2019 campaign, he appeared in all 16 games. He totaled 81 tackles and eight passes defended while returning one interception for a touchdown.

In the 2020 season, he once again played in all 16 games. He racked up 91 tackles, 11 passes defended and two interceptions.

Rowe has two Super Bowl rings to his name, and he’d presumably love to earn another one during his stint with the Dolphins. Given the talent leap that Rowe referenced, things are trending in the right direction for Miami.

The team is looking to crack the playoffs in the 2021 season. It would be Miami’s first appearance in the postseason since the 2016 campaign.