Out goes Kenneth Gainwell, in comes Rico Dowdle. The former is now in Tampa Bay, and the latter, after spending several years with Mike McCarthy in Dallas, now reunites with him in Pittsburgh.
It took Dowdle a while to emerge in Dallas. However, he finally burst onto the scene in McCarthy’s final year there in 2024. But that was an impressive year, and after he repeated that production in Carolina, McCarthy is happy to have Dowdle back again. Speaking at his introductory press conference this week, Dowdle explained the running style he’ll bring to the offense.
“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s angry, I just think I run physical, and try and impose my will on the defense. I know it’s hard for ’em to tackle all four quarters, and just try and wear ’em down and things like that. But, I’d say since, since I was little, I always took pride in like, you know, when you’re a little kid you see somebody get truck-sticked,” Dowdle said Friday via Steelers.com. “So I’ve always just had that mindset of, just, run through a guy since I was little.”
Dowdle is replacing Gainwell, but it’s not as simple as him taking on Gainwell’s role. The two definitely bring different things to an offense. While Gainwell led all Steelers in receptions last year, Dowdle has only 95 career receptions.
Losing Gainwell’s receiving production hurts, and Dowdle won’t match it himself. But it’s not as much of an issue given the offense McCarthy will run. They aren’t going to target the backs as much as they did under Arthur Smith, with McCarthy happy to hand more of those targets to receivers. But Dowdle can still work out of the backfield a bit. And Warren makes an impact as a pass catcher as well.
On the ground is where Rico Dowdle is going to make his biggest impact. And there are many reasons for Steelers fans to be optimistic about that. He picked up 1,000 yards on 4.6 per carry in his final year in Dallas. Dowdle then repeated nearly the exact same numbers in 2025. It’s now two years of consistent, efficient production for Dowdle. Splitting carries with Warren, he’ll stay fresh and ready to take advantage of his opportunities in Pittsburgh.
He’s not lying about his physical running style, either.
Rico Dowdle versus Dolphins last season. 234 total yards on 26 touches with runs of 53, 43, 25, 16, 14, 13, 11 and 11 yardspic.twitter.com/6D9nnyZMib
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) March 9, 2026
Pittsburgh isn’t going to rely on the run as much under McCarthy. But that’s still a staple of Steelers football. And Dowdle is definitely a back that can wear down a defense over the course of a game. He’s never going to shy away from contact and will make defenders pay the price when they try to tackle him.
That should work in a backfield timeshare with Warren. Dowdle’s only been a consistent contributor for two years, so his legs are still relatively fresh. He doesn’t really struggle with injuries and will get time off when Warren’s on the field. That’s a terrific recipe for a back the Steelers hope can grind a defense down as games go on.
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