Rico Dowdle
Rico Dowdle
Rico Dowdle suffered a toe injury in Week 2’s loss to the New England Patriots, but it appears as though the running back will be fine. Originally entering the league as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft, Dowdle began his career primarily as a special teamer before breaking out in 2024. Taking over for a departed Tony Pollard, Dowdle broke out in 2024 by recording 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 235 attempts for the Dallas Cowboys. He quickly proved he was not a one-year wonder in 2025, as he recorded 1,076 yards and six touchdowns on 236 attempts with the Carolina Panthers.
Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike McCarthy’s club brought in Rico Dowdle to effectively replace Kenneth Gainwell as the complementary running back in this offense. So far, he recorded just 37 yards on 15 attempts before his injury, but he should have the opportunity to improve his season. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the running back “checked out relatively OK following tests” and is day-to-day.
Rico Dowdle
| Source: Lastwordonsports.com - David Latham, Managing Editor
Rico Dowdle Injury Update: Steelers RB “Day to Day”
This is the best-case scenario for Rico Dowdle and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the running back needed to be carted off in Week 2. If he’s truly day-to-day, that implies he might suit up for Week 3’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. At 2-0, Joe Burrow’s squad currently leads the AFC North, and Pittsburgh cannot afford to fall further down the standings. While they are 1-1, their lone win came against Cooper Rush and the Atlanta Falcons, and the offense has yet to look competent.
Rico Dowdle alone cannot fix this offense, but the Steelers are a better team with him on the field. Travis Homer is the only other running back besides Jaylen Warren to receive carries this year, and he’s nothing more than a career special teams player.