The Steelers ruled Dowdle (toe) out for Thursday's game in Cleveland, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Dowdle will miss a second straight game after he was unable to practice in any fashion on a short week. With Dowdle out of the mix again, Jaylen Warren looks primed to handle a workhorse role out of the Pittsburgh backfield, after he logged 56 of 62 snaps and handled 20 touches (17 carries, three receptions) for 176 yards in a 30-27 win over the Bengals last week.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Remains listed as 'DNP'
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Dowdle (toe) was estimated as a non-participant on Tuesday's injury report, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.
The Steelers held a walkthrough for the second time in as many days, and as was the case Monday Dowdle was unable to get any work in. He was at least present Tuesday after not being spotted during the media-viewing portion the day before, but he will presumably have to practice in at least some capacity Wednesday in order to have any chance to suit up for Pittsburgh's Week 4 matchup with Cleveland on Thursday.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Spectator for Tuesday's practice
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Dowdle (toe) was present for Tuesday's practice but was a non-participant, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.
After sitting out Sunday's win over the Bengals due to a right toe injury, Dowdle will go down as a non-participant on the Steelers' first two Week 4 practice report. Unless he's able to fit in some on-field work during Wednesday's session, Dowdle will likely be ruled out ahead of Thursday's game in Cleveland. Dowdle's potential absence for a second straight game would set up Jaylen Warren for another heavy workload out of the backfield, after Warren handled 20 touches in Week 3.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Sits out walk-through session
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Dowdle (toe) wasn't present for Monday's walkthrough practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Dowdle was unable to practice in any fashion last week before being ruled out ahead of Sunday's 30-27 win over the Bengals. The Steelers will face a quick turnaround for Week 4, when they'll travel to Cleveland for a Thursday night matchup with the Browns. Dowdle's lack of involvement in the team stretch and walkthrough Monday doesn't bode well for his chances of being ready to play three days later.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Not practicing Friday
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Dowdle (toe) was not spotted during the open viewing window of Friday's practice, Ray Fittipaldo reports.
With Dowdle now absent from the open portion of practice after not participating Wednesday or Thursday, he's looking shaky for Sunday's matchup with the Bengals. Jaylen Warren (shoulder) is also banged up, but he seems to be doing better than Dowdle and could thus be tasked with a large workload for Week 3. The Steelers also have Travis Homer on the roster and Lew Nichols on the practice squad as backfield alternatives, though Homer has largely played special teams throughout his NFL career, while Nichols is a 2023 seventh-round pick with one regular-season appearance to his name.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: DNP again Thursday
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Dowdle (toe) didn't practice Thursday, Alan Saunders of Steelers Now reports.
Dowdle has been sidelined for Pittsburgh's first two practices leading up to Sunday's Week 3 matchup against the AFC North rival Bengals, though he at least managed to shed his walking boot Thursday. Jaylen Warren (shoulder) was listed as limited both Wednesday and Thursday. If Dowdle's unable to practice Friday, he'll likely sit out Sunday, which could lead to more touches for Warren in a Steelers backfield that started out close to an even split when both running backs were healthy.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Viewed as day-to-day
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Dowdle is considered day-to-day after undergoing testing on his toe injury Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Dowdle was carted to the locker room during the second half of Sunday's 20-3 loss to the Patriots, but he appears to have avoided a significant injury. If Dowdle ends up sitting out a Week 3 contest against the Jaguars, Jaylen Warren could be in store for a sizable three-down role out of the Pittsburgh backfield. The No. 3 back, rookie Eli Heidenreich, has yet to receive a touch and has mostly been used on special teams through his first two NFL contests.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Lackluster start to Steelers tenure
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Dowdle rushed eight times for 15 yards and brought in two of five targets for six yards in the Steelers' 20-13 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
Dowdle trailed backfield mate Jaylen Warren by only two carries and a sole target, but the former was outgained in total scrimmage yards by a 73-21 margin. Dowdle is virtually certain to have better days on the ground this season, yet Warren's efficient performance as both a runner and receiver served as a reminder of his value to the offense. Consequently, Dowdle could continue narrowly trailing his teammate in overall opportunity during a Week 2 road matchup against the Patriots next Sunday.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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We'll hopefully learn more about how the Steelers plan to use Dowdle and Warren this season based on what happens in this game, and I like both as flex options against the Falcons. If we're assigning roles to them, I expect Dowdle to get more carries and work at the goal line, and Warren should be used as a change-of-pace rusher and on passing downs. The Steelers are favored at home in this matchup, so I'll give a slight edge to Dowdle in Week 1. But both should get enough chances to be useful flex options in all formats.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Five carries Friday, just like Warren
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Dowdle rushed five times for 18 yards and caught his only target for two yards in Friday's 17-0 preseason loss to the Jets.
Dowdle posted a similar stat line to Jaylen Warren (five carries for 17 yards) as Pittsburgh's top two running backs split carries throughout the first half. The Steelers are poised to open the regular season with Warren and Dowdle operating in a timeshare. It's unclear if either of the two will suit up for Thursday's preseason finale at Buffalo.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: In uniform Friday
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Dowdle is suited up for Friday's preseason game versus the Jets, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Dowdle thus is poised to make his Steelers debut after sitting out the team's exhibition opener last Thursday against the Packers. Both Dowdle and Jaylen Warren are in uniform Friday, and the former is looking to build upon the 1,373 yards from scrimmage and seven total TDs he racked up in 17 regular-season games in 2025 as a member of the Panthers.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Headed to Pittsburgh
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Dowdle is slated to sign with the Steelers, NFL reporter Jordan Schultz reports.
Per NFL.com, it's a two-year, $12.25 million deal for Dowdle, who is set to move over to the AFC after one year in Carolina. He produced a 236-1,076-6 regular-season rushing line last season with the Panthers, which was nearly identical to the 235-1,079-2 line he posted during his 2024 breakout campaign with the Cowboys. Dowdle also caught exactly 39 passes each of the past two seasons, totaling 546 yards and four touchdowns, and he's chipped in as a kick returner throughout his career. The Steelers have Jaylen Warren locked in as their primary RB, so Dowdle figures to form a 1-2 punch with the incumbent starter, though his role may be somewhat different from that of Kenneth Gainwell, who featured as a pass catcher in 2025 but is departing in free agency to Tampa Bay.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Uncertain to return to Carolina
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General manager Dan Morgan said Tuesday that the door is open for Dowdle to return to Carolina in 2026, but the Panthers will give him the opportunity to test the market in free agency, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Though the Panthers are seemingly keen on retaining Dowdle at the right price, it's possible that the franchise won't be able to afford the running back coming off his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. If Dowdle heads elsewhere, Morgan expressed confidence in the remaining members of the running back room (Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne) being capable of picking up the slack. After opening 2025 as the Panthers' starter before sliding to second on the depth chart, Hubbard had already moved back into a near-even timeshare with Dowdle by the end of the regular season and then handily out-snapped and out-touched Dowdle in the Panthers' wild-card loss to the Rams.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Another quiet showing
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Dowdle recorded five rushes for nine yards in Saturday's 34-31 wild-card loss to the Rams. He added one reception on two targets for six yards.
Dowdle has been particularly inefficient to close the season, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry across Carolina's final four regular-season contests. He also lost his status as the team's lead back in the playoff loss, with Chuba Hubbard out-touching Dowdle 15-6. Dowdle is headed to free agency for the second consecutive offseason, and he is likely to be signed as a complementary back given his fade down the stretch after a strong start to 2025.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Forgettable afternoon in loss
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Dowdle rushed seven times for 10 yards and brought in both targets for 20 yards in the Panthers' 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers on Saturday. He also lost a fumble and recovered another.
Neither Dowdle nor Chuba Hubbard had any success against the Buccaneers' stout defensive front, with each back netting only 10 rushing yards. Dowdle made an impact with a 25-yard grab on one of his catches, while his other reception resulted in a five-yard loss. Additionally, his lost fumble came early in the fourth quarter at the Buccaneers' 24-yard line on a botched trick play, and while it didn't lead to points since Chase McLaughlin had a 38-yard field-goal attempt blocked, it certainly robbed Carolina of what seemed to be a high-percentage scoring opportunity. Despite the disappointing finale, Dowdle had plenty of important contributions in his first Panthers season on his way to 1,076 rushing yards and six touchdowns alongside a 39-297-1 receiving line over 17 games, and he'll continue to play a key role in next weekend's wild-card round if the Falcons defeat the Saints on Sunday and make the Panthers the NFC South champions in the process.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Misses practice with sore toe
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Head coach Dave Canales said that Dowdle was held out of Tuesday's walk-through practice due to a sore toe, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Canales termed Dowdle's absence as a rest day and labeled him day-to-day, which suggests the Panthers aren't too concerned about the running back's availability for Saturday's regular-season finale at Tampa Bay. The Panthers will wait and see if Dowdle is able to get back on the practice field in some fashion Wednesday and/or Thursday before determining his status for Saturday. Given that the NFC South title may be at stake in the game, expect Dowdle to do everything in his power to suit up against the Buccaneers, and he also has plenty of financial incentive to be in the lineup -- he needs just seven more scrimmage yards to trigger a $1 million bonus in his contract.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Over 40 scrimmage yards in win
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Dowdle rushed nine times for 29 yards and brought in four of six targets for 14 yards in the Panthers' 23-20 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Dowdle outpaced Chuba Hubbard by just three carries and two rushing yards, as both backs had a predictably difficult time versus the Buccaneers' typically stingy run defense. With Sunday's production, Dowdle did exceed 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive campaign, but he's been at 58 rushing yards or fewer in six consecutive games heading into a Week 17 home matchup against a tough Seahawks defense.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: RBs to Start
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It's slightly risky to trust Dowdle heading into Week 15 at New Orleans because the last time we saw the Panthers in Week 13 against the Rams, Chuba Hubbard was the best running back with 17 carries for 83 yards and two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown on two targets. But Dowdle still had 18 carries for 58 yards and two catches for 21 yards on two targets. Dowdle is expected to remain the lead running back of this tandem, and I would still start him as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. He had 18 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 10 yards on three targets against the Saints in Week 10, and New Orleans has allowed a running back to score at least 12.7 PPR points in five games in a row. As for Hubbard, he's worth using as a flex, and hopefully both running backs are productive in this game.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Contrarian DFS Play
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Interest in Dowdle has plummeted due to Chuba Hubbard's increased role in Week 13. But Dowdle still had 20 touches in that game. The Panthers have gone to a run-heavy approach and are 2.5-point favorites at New Orleans this week. If they are playing with the lead Dowdle and Hubbard could combine for 35 rush attempts.
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Panthers' Rico Dowdle: Efficient with 10 touches
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Dowdle rushed six times for 38 yards and brought in all four targets for 36 yards in the Panthers' 20-9 loss to the 49ers on Monday night.
Game script significantly limited Dowdle's opportunities on the ground, but the talented back still found his way to a highly efficient performance that saw him pace the Panthers in both rushing and receiving yards. Dowdle's carry total was his lowest since Week 1 when he opened the season stuck in a complementary role behind Chuba Hubbard, but his modest volume Monday was strictly an outlier Dowdle should have a chance to bounce back from to some degree in a Week 13 home matchup against the Rams on Sunday.
