Five Big-Picture Takeaways from Eagles Preseason Finale vs Jets

2.) Eric Rowe Will Be A Roller-Coaster Ride as a Rookie

While Kiko Alonso and Josh Huff were playing Thursday to get some reps before the start of the regular season, Eric Rowe was likely a big part of the action in order to continue his preparation for his rookie season. As has been the case for most of the exhibition slate, Rowe was mentioned often. In a game against mostly 2nd and 3rd stringers, this is not necessarily a good thing.

Rowe is a supreme athletic specimen and it’s easy to see why the Eagles brass thought so highly of him. He’s long, fast, strong, and aggressive. These are the things that are already working in the young defensive back’s favor. What was troubling at times during the preseason was his tendency to have the opposition take advantage of his strengths. Rowe, who has played just one year at cornerback, appeared uncertain at times when committing to his technique. Position coach Cory Undlin has prioritized this and figures to spend a great deal of time with Rowe working on this.

One promising element of Rowe’s preseason is how often he is around the ball. Rowe demonstrated the ability to bounce back from mistakes throughout the entirety of his exhibition slate. Whether it was stripping a ball from a receiver that had made a catch in front of him, or jumping a bubble screen a play after he was beat for a first down; Rowe showed he may have the type of ‘short memory’ that is crucial when playing in the NFL. Especially as a rookie, Rowe needs to realize he won’t be able to make every play. It is encouraging that he did not let his mistakes keep him from shying away from the action.