The Miami Dolphins are a team that hasn’t generated a lot of positive attention for individual accolades in recent years — the Dolphins didn’t have a single Pro Bowl player in 2019 — despite the fact that DeVante Parker had more receiving yards than any other AFC wide receiver last year. But if one was to designate the superlative of “Most Underrated” to a Miami Dolphins player, who would be the most deserving of the title?
Miami Dolphins all know about Parker and his emergence as a former top-20 NFL Draft selection and his massive breakthrough last year — which probably disqualifies him from the designation of “underrated”. So who would be the one?
A good case could be made for safety Eric Rowe, who is a former high draft selection himself. Rowe was a low-risk free agent signing by the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2019 season and after a brief stay at cornerback, Rowe transitioned to strong safety, where he was largely charged with negating opposing tight ends in coverage.
By the end of the year, Rowe was targeted 71 times in coverage and gave up an opposing passer rating of 81.0 according to Pro Football Reference. In some ways, Rowe filled the coverage void the Dolphins seemed intent on tasking Minkah Fitzpatrick with playing earlier in the season. And Rowe thrived in the spot, although he did so without much in the way of accolades. The former 2nd-round pick, much like DeVante Parker, finally lived up to his potential and was able to play in 16 games for just the second time in his career.
While Miami has uncertainty in the long-term at both safety spots, a repeat performance from Rowe in 2020 would likely cement him into a more confident forecast for the Dolphins — and perhaps allow him to get some of the recognition he deserved after a terrific second half of the season in 2019.
