Both Jackson and Jones are developing so excited to see there. Rowe has had some difficulty to be sure, but so has DMac. My guess is that personepe stay as they are for now. I suspect things will look different come playoffs.
For me, the thing about Rowe is that his "difficulties" have been ongoing for quite awhile.
In 2016, his first season with the Pats and only his second season in the league, he looked pretty raw in coverage, even later in the year. I wrote that off to his youth, and the fact that he missed some development time (7 games) to various injuries. I was willing to cut him slack base on "potential" - his length and measured athleticism. Then, last season, he seemed to regress (Jones was already more effective and consistent) - and he also missed 8 games to a groin injury.
So, I was hoping that Rowe could stay healthy enough this season to finally develop and settle into at least a rotational role. But, here we are again - with him underperforming Jones and now sidelined with another groin injury.
In contrast, DMac has been a solid pro for 8 years playing all sorts of different coverage roles. He's also missed only 5 games to injury during his career. So, he had a bad game on Thursday night and, sure, he probably doesn't have the elite CoD and closing speed he had as a rookie (though he's still not really "slow"). I'm far more confident in his ability to bounce back and overcome his "difficulties" than I am with Rowe.
I think Rowe may still have the potential to be a solid DB, but he may have a better chance to achieve that in a different system on another team.
