No two teams in football trade with impunity more than the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles. It shouldn't be a surprise, then, that the two teams found common ground on a deal in the days leading into Week 1.
Philadelphia is sending cornerback Eric Rowe, a 2015 second-round pick, to the Patriots for a 2018 fourth-round pick, the Eagles announced Wednesday. The 2018 pick can upgrade to a third-rounder if Rowe satisfies certain conditions, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. It had been previously reported that offensive lineman Josh Kline also was headed to Philadelphia, but the Patriotshave opted to cut him.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday that you don't really know your team until the middle of October. The next month will include a lot of tinkering, and that includes seeing whether Rowe can crack a Patriots cornerback depth chart where rookie Cyrus Jones and Justin Coleman are the top backups at the position.
Belichick has struggled drafting second-round defensive backs over the years, so perhaps he will have better luck with a pick that another organization clearly regrets selecting.
