Editor’s note: From now until reporting day to training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2026 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with two players each day between June 13 and July 28. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.
RB RICO DOWDLE
Experience/age: 7th season, turned 28 last week
Contract status: $3.75 million cap hit in 2026, signed through 2027
The past: Dowdle is on his third team over a three-season span, but he joined an old coach of his in that Steelers head Mike McCarthy was leading the Dallas Cowboys during Dowdle’s 2020-2024 tenure with that team. Undrafted out of South Carolina, Dowdle appeared in 15 games as a rookie – mostly on special teams. A hip injury suffered during the preseason cost Dowdle his second NFL season, and an ankle injury limited him to five games in 2022.
But Dowdle has appeared in 49 of a possible 51 games the past three seasons, rushing for 2,516 yards and 10 touchdowns in that time. He entered each season buried on the depth chart but carved out a more significant role. In 2024, veteran Ezekiel Elliott started the opener for the Cowboys but was outperformed by Dowdle and Dowdle was the featured back the rest of the season. He rushed for 1,079 yards, added 39 catches and totaled five touchdowns.
Dowdle signed with the Carolina Panthers for last season and was slotted behind veteran RB1 Chuba Hubbard. An injury to Hubbard gave Dowdle an opening, and he responded with 389 rushing yards and two touchdowns over a two-game October span. Dowdle started each of Carolina’s final 10 games of this past season, including their playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
New Steelers RB Rico Dowdle on joining Jaylen Warren in becoming a tandem at the position pic.twitter.com/iybxP1O5Nw
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 28, 2026
2026 outlook: Dowdle joined the Steelers in free agency, signing a contract that will compensate him $6.25 million in 2026 and is structured in such a way that the Steelers could elect to move on before paying him $6 million next season. Dowdle is the replacement for Kenneth Gainwell, who spent one year with the Steelers. Gainwell was intended to serve as a complement to Jaylen Warren, but Gainwell ended up in a rather even timeshare with Warren and ended up getting voted team MVP by his peers.
Gainwell left in free agency, and while Gainwell excelled in the receiving game Dowdle is more of a traditional running back. At 5 feet 11, 215 pounds, Dowdle is the same weight as Warren, who is listed at 5-8.
Warren signed a two-year, $12 million extension last summer. He and Dowdle will share the primary running back duties, but to what extent each plays will be something to watch. Warren, Dowdle, McCarthy, offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio and running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung Jr. have been reluctant to offer details about what role each is slated to fill. Will Dowdle play on early downs and Warren serve as a third-down back? Will they split time on a more drive-by-drive basis? Will it be matchup-specific? Will performance during training camp and the preseason help guide who might play more? The situation is a storyline that will be tracked closely over the leadup to the regular season.