Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but a New England Patriots cornerback was benched Sunday.
After allowing two catches on two targets for 46 yards and a touchdown to wide receiver Keelan Cole, Eric Rowe got a quick hook from the Patriots’ 31-20 Week 2 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Frankly, there wasn’t much Rowe could have done on this one-handed grab by Cole.
But Cole beat him off the line on the touchdown, and Rowe couldn’t recover in time to get his hand on the football.
Rowe later came back into the game after safety Patrick Chung suffered a concussion when the Patriots were forced to play their dime defense and let up another 22-yard catch to Cole. So, despite the quick hook, it ultimately was the right decision by head coach Bill Belichick.
Jason McCourty replaced Rowe in the game and allowed three catches on five targets for 31 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
So, who starts opposite Stephon Gilmore on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions? It’s not out of the question Rowe will be back out there as a starter. The Patriots actually benched Gilmore in Week 4 last season. He was replaced by Rowe, who subsequently got hurt, sending Gilmore back into the game. Gilmore went on to start in Week 5.
The Patriots also benched Butler before Super Bowl LII. Rowe started over Butler last season in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. Butler was back to starting in Week 3 last season.
Belichick seems to have a quick hook with cornerbacks, but he’s not afraid to go back to them later in the season. Ex-Patriots cornerbacks Logan Ryan and Kyle Arrington also were benched during their time in New England but went on to earn back their starting roles.
Rowe had a really solid summer, preseason and Week 1 for the Patriots, so his performance against Cole was a departure from that.
If Rowe doesn’t start Sunday, the most likely candidate is McCourty. If McCourty starts, it would make Belichick’s decision to keep him on the 53-man roster to start the year a smart one. McCourty was considered to be on the roster bubble.
McCourty’s been solid through two games. He had a 6-yard tackle for loss in Week 2 against the Jaguars while defending a lateral.
Another candidate to start is undrafted rookie cornerback JC Jackson. He was a training camp and preseason star but has been a healthy scratch through two weeks. Perhaps this is Jackson’s opportunity to earn a role on the team. Jackson probably provides the most upside of any starting cornerback candidate.
Slot cornerback Jonathan Jones also could be bumped up to an outside role. Jones was a lockdown defender in Week 1 but was up-and-down in Week 2. He forced an interception by linebacker Kyle Van Noy but also appeared to allow a 61-yard touchdown catch by Jaguars receiver Dede Westbrook.
The least likely candidate to start is rookie Keion Crossen, who also has been inactive through two games. Crossen hit the injury report last week with a hamstring ailment. His most likely path to play would be in the slot if Jones bumped up to the outside role.
There’s another complicating factor in all of this: Chung’s concussion. If he can’t play in Week 3, then the Patriots’ base defense, their nickel package, would go from three safeties and two cornerbacks to three cornerbacks and two safeties. Devin McCourty would play strong safety with Duron Harmon back deep at free safety. Then Gilmore would man one outside spot with Jones likely playing in the slot. The other outside position would be played by Rowe, McCourty or Jackson.
We’ll take a guess and say Rowe starts given the height of the Lions’ starting wide receivers. Kenny Golladay is 6-foot-4, and Marvin Jones is 6-foot-2. Rowe is 6-foot-1 while McCourty is 5-foot-11. Jackson is listed at 6-foot-1, but he measured in under 5-foot-10 at the NFL Scouting Combine. From standing next to him in the locker room, it’s more likely he’s 5-foot-10 than 6-foot-1. Gilmore is 6-feet.
If Gilmore covers Jones, then the Patriots likely would want a bigger cornerback than McCourty to play against Golladay. If Rowe does start, don’t be surprised by another quick hook, however.
UPDATE (10:30 a.m. ET): The Patriots reportedly are re-signing cornerback Cyrus Jones off the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad. He’s more of an option to cover the slot and return punts than to play outside.
