Steelers Now
Former NFL offensive lineman and three-time Super Bowl champion Mark Schlereth is very bullish on Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle.
Schlereth, who is now a color commentator for FOX, called a ton of Carolina Panthers games, so he saw firsthand what Dowdle can do to defenses.
“I’m an NFC South guy. I did a ton of Carolina games. Rico Dowdle changed the attitude and the fortune[s] of the Carolina Panthers last year,” Schlereth said recently on his Stinkin’ Truth podcast. “Rico Dowdle came in, I did the first game he started against Miami, went over 200 yards, and was a freaking battering ram.
“Dave Canales, their head coach, was like, ‘[Schlereth], he just changed the attitude of the team. He is so violent in the way he runs.”
Dowdle looks forward to playing the Panthers at Acrisure Stadium this season.
Dowdle revealed during his introductory press conference in March that the game is “definitely circled for sure.”
Dowdle is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He really turned heads last year in his only season in Carolina.
Despite the career year, the Panthers have already invested in young running backs, so Dowdle was on the outside looking in.
“That’s [Panthers owner] Dave Tepper, ‘I paid one guy, and we’re gonna start that guy.’ That’s what it felt like to me,” Schlereth said. “For Rico Dowdle to get out of Carolina, go to Pittsburgh, and be that huge battering ram type of back, I love that aspect of it.”
Dowdle clapped back at a Panthers fan on X who said he “shoulda been circling them run gaps down the stretch buckaroo.” Dowdle replied, “Get hard when you run the same thing 75/100 times.”
Another Panthers fan said Dowdle “has a serious attitude issue.” Dowdle responded, “Never in my life!”
Dowdle had “no idea” why his reps declined last year with the Panthers, according to The Charlotte Observer.
It sure appears that Dowdle has a chip on his shoulder after being slighted by the Panthers.
Dowdle went off against the Cowboys in a revenge game last season, posting a career-high 239 total yards from scrimmage and one touchdown in the Panthers’ 30-27 win. Dowdle rushed for 183 yards on 30 carries (6.1 average). Through the air, he had four receptions for 56 yards (14.0 average) and a touchdown.
Dowdle has an old-school mentality when it comes to running the ball. He simply wants to impose his will on defenders.
“Since I was little, I always took pride in that. When you were little, you saw people get truck sticked….and that’s always something I wanted to take pride in,” Dowdle explained.
Dowdle spent five seasons under Mike McCarthy in Dallas from 2020-2024. He thinks McCarthy’s run schemes are perfect for his style of running.
“He wants it physical. I take pride in my game being physical,” Dowdle said
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Super Bowl Champion Offensive Lineman Praises Steelers RB Rico Dowdle: ‘Huge Battering Ram Type of Back’
