pittsburgh steelers signing the former carolina panthers extraordinary running back Rico Dowdle The deal was signed on a two-year, $12.25 million deal, NFL Network reported Monday.
Dowdall led the Panthers with 1,076 yards rushing in 2025, giving him consecutive 1,000-yard seasons between Carolina and Carolina. dallas.
He started the year as a backup Chuba HubbardBut when Hubbard missed weeks 5 and 6 with a calf injury, Dowdall amassed a franchise-record 473 scrimmage yards in the two-game span, surpassing the previous mark. Christian McCaffrey.
Coach Dave Canales praised Dowdle for his “violent” running style and elevated him to a starting role after a two-week effort to split repetitions. Dowdle played a key role in the midseason victory over green BayRushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
However, his production and carries declined significantly over the final three games, when he had only 28 carries for 88 yards. He explained that he was unhappy after the season and planned to test the free agent market.
Dowdle went undrafted after playing collegiately. South Carolina. He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent and spent his first four NFL seasons in Dallas, eventually becoming the starter in 2024.
It was especially important for Pittsburgh to include Dowdle as a running back. kenneth gainwellSteelers’ team MVP last season, Terms agreed on a two-year, $14 million deal with tampa bay buccaneersAccording to sources.
However, Dowdle is not a one-for-one replacement for Gainwell.
The versatile Gainwell is proficient 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 includes back injuries jaylen warren and a 2025 third-round pick Caleb Johnson.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and David Newton contributed their reporting.
