Steelers signing RB Rico Dowdle to two-year, $12.25 million deal

Rico Dowdle‘s rushing to the Steel City.

The now-former Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers 1,000-yard rusher is signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year, $12.25 million deal, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Monday night.

Dowdle departs Charlotte after just one season, but his second in a row topping 1,000 yards and looks to fill a void left by Kenneth Gainwell for the Steelers. Dowdle will also reunite with Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, who was his HC in Dallas, including in his breakout 2024 campaign.

Gainwell is signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, leaving a spot for Dowdle to fill alongside Jaylen Warren. Ranked 82nd on Gregg Rosenthal’s top 101 free agents list, Dowdle was the fourth-best RB option in the 2026 free-agent class, per Rosenthal.

A member of the Dallas Cowboys roster from 2020-2024, Dowdle was largely underutilized before spring into action in 2024, when he rushed for 1,079 yards. He left to sign a one-year pact with the Panthers last season, reaching 1,076 yards on a career-high 236 carries while rushing for six touchdowns.

Having waned down the stretch after taking the RB1 reins from Chuba Hubbard, Dowdle is now bound for Pittsburgh.