Early during Monday's legal tampering NFL start of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost Kenneth Gainwell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They didn't wait long to find a remedy, signing Rico Dowdle from the Carolina Panthers to join their RB depth chart with Jaylen Warren.
Maybe the most intriguing part of the move, though, is that Dowdle and Gainwell aren't the same player.
Instead, Dowdle may actually push Warren more into Gainwell's role from 2025.
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How does Rico Dowdle change things for Jaylen Warren?
Dowdle's signing is likely to make Warren more of the receiving-down back.
The former Panthers standout Dowdle did some pass catching in 2025, too, but he's not the level of receiver that Gainwell was.
In last season's split, Gainwell had 73 receptions. Warren may not do that, but he could see a career-high in targets.
"By adding a big, physical back like Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren's role should be more clearly established," The Athletic's Mike DeFabo wrote on X on Monday. "He should pick up a lot of the pass-catching opportunities that Kenny G got last year. Stylistically, it's a nice 1-2 punch with different body types and playing styles."
For what it's worth, this signing also says a lot about Kaleb Johnson. The Steelers drafted him a year ago out of Iowa, barely played him, and have now acquired another player that relegates Johnson back to third-string.
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