Steelers Now
New Steelers running back Rico Dowdle is eager for his next opportunity. The 7th-year pro out of South Carolina has had a career of ups and downs. Signing with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2020, he played sparingly as a rookie and missed his entire second season due to a preseason injury.
But the past two seasons, Dowdle has taken off, racking up over 1,000 yards in back-to-back campaigns. In 2024, his last season in Dallas, he had 1,079 yards and two touchdowns. Dallas did not re-sign him, and he signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, where he ran for a startlingly similar 1,076 yards but had six touchdowns.
Dowdle now joins a Steelers backfield that can use his services, as Kenneth Gainwell departed in free agency and left Jaylen Warren as the only starting-caliber back. He also has a history with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, as he joined Dallas in McCarthy’s first year there.
“(McCarthy has) his mindset of rushes and completions … you have to establish that run game to get going, and I think later on in my career in Dallas, my last year there, I was able to start doing that, so just going to try and continue to build on that here,” Dowdle said.
Notably, this Steelers backfield will consist of two former undrafted free agents, and Warren and Dowdle have dramatically different playing styles. Warren is a shifty back who utilizes quickness, agility and misdirection to shake defenders, and notably hurdled a Chargers defender on Sunday Night Football last season. He also racked up 333 receiving yards on 40 catches in 2025.
Dowdle, on the other hand, is a more traditional, bruising back, powering through contact and getting gritty yards. Running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung foresees Dowdle and Warren forming a solid duo, with two different styles complementing each other to create a dynamic ground attack.
“Thunder and lightning, you got two guys who have been productive in this league, so it’s always good to have two guys who can go out there and get the job done at a high level,” Dowdle said.
Chinyoung worked with Dowdle when he was the assistant offensive line/quality control coach in Dallas during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Dowdle is excited to work with him again.
“His character and his personality is just one of a kind,” Dowdle said. “We had a great relationship there and it’s been great getting here with him.”
Dowdle also has something of a chip on his shoulder, having been let go back-to-back years by two different organizations despite having the two most productive seasons of his career.
In 2025, the week before playing the Cowboys, Dowdle advised them to “buckle up” after rushing for over 200 yards and a touchdown against Miami. He delivered on that warning, toting the rock 30 times for 183 yards while adding 56 receiving yards and a touchdown in a 30-27 Panthers win over his former team.
This year,...
