HOUSTON — The man who could be tasked with covering Julio Jones on Super Bowl Sunday wasn’t even a New England Patriot in early September. He was wallowing on the depth chart for a team that would end up going 7-9.

But the circumstances have changed dramatically for Eric Rowe, who found himself getting traded to New England for far less value (a conditional pick in 2018) than the second-rounder the Philadelphia Eagles had invested in him a little more than a year prior.

Funny what a few months can do to change a man’s life. From unwanted to essential, Rowe has tried to absorb a new playbook and way of life in New England, battled injuries, fought his way into a starting role … and now Rowe finds himself facing the NFL’s hottest and perhaps most dangerous receiver in the Super Bowl.

[Ditch the paper and pen – play Squares Pick’em for the Big Game!]

Oh, and he grew up a few dozen miles down the road from NRG Stadium. Yeah, things have come full circle it seems.

“I thought about that last week,” Rowe said. “Everything I’ve gone through in such a short period of time — everything in Philly, getting traded, getting hurt — and now I am here. It’s been up and down, but it’s been an amazing ride.”

Rowe was a safety at Utah his first three seasons before converting to corner and catching the eye of NFL scouts with his ability to defend in single coverage with his long arms and sturdy 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame. He stood out with his strong postseason workouts at the Senior Bowl and scouting combine and was the 47th pick in the 2015 draft.

After a slow start as a rookie, he got himself into the rotation for the Eagles, but it was a rude ascension once he got there. In Week 12 last season against the Detroit Lions, Rowe didn’t start but played most of the snaps and was asked to cover Calvin Johnson. It didn’t go very well — Johnson caught three TDs on a nationally televised Thanksgiving game.

New England Patriots cornerback Eric Rowe has a tall challenge if he’s asked to cover Julio Jones. (AP) More

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Next up on the Eagles’ schedule: the Patriots. Rowe had a little trouble sleeping that week.

“I was super nervous for the game,” Rowe told Shutdown Corner. “The week before was the Lions game, and I had been just attacked by Calvin. Tom [Brady] is a smart, smart guy so I know he was watching the film thinking, ‘I can go after this dude.’”

And go after him he did. Brady didn’t waste time, either.

“I think maybe the third play in, we were in Cover 3 and Tom dipped his shoulder back, and I thought, ‘Oh man.’ So I just turned and started running. He just chucked it. That was the first pass he threw at me and I knew he was coming at me all game,” Rowe said.

Rowe held his own. Brady threw 56 passes that game, and 13 went in Rowe’s direction. According to Pro Football Focus, only four of those passes were completed, all for short yardage. The Eagles overcame a 14-0 deficit and stunned the Patriots a few weeks before head coach Chip Kelly would be fired.

Fast-forward to training camp this past August, and Rowe once again found himself looking up the depth chart at others in front of him. He was deemed not to be a fit in new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme, which confuses him to this day.

“I don’t take it personally,” Rowe said. “If it was a scheme thing, it was a scheme thing. Jim Schwartz liked press-man [coverage], and I like press man. The league just moves in different ways. I am happy now, I’ll say that.”

Four days prior to the season opener, Rowe was traded — to the Patriots, the team against whom he had turned in his best game nine months earlier. It looked like a fresh start, and Rowe is convinced that his strong play in that game greased the wheels for the deal.

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