The Pittsburgh Steelers and running back Rico Dowdle have reportedly come to terms on a 2 year, $12.25M contract late Monday night.
Dowdle is coming off back to back 1,000 yard rushing seasons split between the Panthers and Cowboys, and will join a Steelers backfield that also features Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson. The Steelers recently lost RB Kenneth Gainwell who opted to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the start of the NFL negotiation window.
The signing reunites Dowdle with Mike McCarthy who was his former head coach while both were members of the Dallas Cowboys. Given his familiarity with the back, there’s a very good chance that Dowdle could open the season as the preferred option in the Steelers backfield over incumbent starter Jaylen Warren.
Now entering his age 28 season, Dowdle made it known towards the end of his Panthers tenure that he wanted to become a focal point of the offence. Despite clearly being the more effective runner between himself and Chuba Hubbard in Carolina, Dowdle saw his usage dip over the season’s final 3 games, leading many to assume that he would be testing free agency this spring.
An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, Dowdle has amassed 2,155 rushing yards to go along with 12 TDs over the last two seasons. With a career average of 4.5 yards per carry, he figures to play a pivotal role in a Steelers offence that still needs to make a decision as to what they’ll be doing about their quarterback position in 2026.
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