The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing former Carolina Panthers standout running back Rico Dowdle to a two-year, $12.25 million deal, NFL Network reported Monday.
Dowdle led the Panthers with 1,076 yards rushing in 2025, giving him consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between Carolina and Dallas.
He began the year as the backup to Chuba Hubbard, but when Hubbard was out Weeks 5 and 6 with a calf injury, Dowdle exploded for a franchise-record 473 scrimmage yards over a two-game stretch, surpassing the previous mark held by Christian McCaffrey.
Coach Dave Canales praised Dowdle for his “violent” running style and elevated him to the starting role after a two-week attempt to split the repetitions. Dowdle was instrumental in a midseason win at Green Bay, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
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However, his production and carries dropped significantly over the final three games, when he had only 28 carries for 88 yards. He made it clear he was unhappy about that after the season and planned to test the free agent market.
Dowdle went undrafted after playing collegiately at South Carolina. He signed as a free agent with the Cowboys and spent his first four NFL seasons in Dallas, eventually becoming the starter in 2024.
Pittsburgh’s addition of Dowdle was especially necessary after running back Kenneth Gainwell, the Steelers’ team MVP last season, agreed to terms on a two-year, $14 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to sources.
Dowdle, though, isn’t a one-for-one replacement of Gainwell.
The versatile Gainwell is prolific in the pass game — he led the Steelers in receptions last season — but Dowdle is a more physical, pure running back. He joins a room that also includes bruising back Jaylen Warren and 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and David Newton contributed to this report.
