After nearly 24 hours of speculation, the Eric Rowe trade became official on Wednesday morning.
The Eagles traded Rowe to the New England Patriots for a 2018 fourth-round pick. No other players were involved in the deal despite early reports that offensive lineman Josh Kline would be coming to the Eagles. The fourth-round pick could become a third-rounder if Rowe plays at least 50 percent of the defensive snaps in either of the next two seasons, according to a league source.
"He's like for us possibly the fourth corner, fifth corner right now going into the season and this gives him an opportunity to play," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said.
Rowe was the Eagles' second-round pick in 2015, but the new coaching staff clearly did not value him as much as Chip Kelly's staff did. When asked if Rowe deserved more time to develop, Pederson said there's "some validity" to that argument.
"You have to look at where you currently are and where that player is currently and you have to address the whole _ the big picture of everything," Pederson said. "This is such a can-you-win-now mentality and you're always constantly shifting and moving your roster around that this definitely gives him an opportunity to go play and potentially be a starter there and compete and do some good things."
The Eagles' roster is at 52 players. Pederson said they're not in a rush to fill the final spot, but he said having rookie C.J. Smith back with the team on the practice squad factored into how the Eagles view their cornerback depth.
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