Hours after adding a two-time 1,000-yard receiver to their offense, the Pittsburgh Steelers added a two-time 1,000-yard rusher in free agency.
The Steelers agreed to terms with running back Rico Dowdle on Monday, according to The Schultz Report. Dowdle, who will turn 28 this summer, has 2,155 rushing yards over the past two seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers.
Dowdle was the second skill-position player to join the Steelers on Monday, the start of the so-called “legal tampering period” of NFL unrestricted free agency when teams and agents can hammer out deals that can become official at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Rico Dowdle 34 TOUCHES, 239 YDS, 1 TD vs. DAL Today. https://t.co/yuh9I6eHke pic.twitter.com/bg8lyMd9DA
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) October 12, 2025
Soon after the noon soft opening of free agency Monday, the Steelers and Colts agreed to terms on a trade in which the Steelers acquired veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman and Dowdle are two new weapons for new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, whose background is on offense and who will call the Steelers’ plays.
Dowdle’s first five NFL seasons ran concurrent with McCarthy’s tenure as head coach of the Cowboys. But, as an undrafted player, Dowdle had only seven career carries from 2020-22 — albeit in part because of a hip injury that cost him the 2021 season.
Dowdle replaces Kenneth Gainwell, who was voted 2025 team MVP in his lone season with the Steelers but agreed earlier in the day Monday on a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That left the Steelers in need of a veteran running mate for Jaylen Warren in a running backs position room that also features 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson, who was a disappointment as a rookie.
Terms of the deal with Dowdle were not immediately available.
Dowdle played last season on a one-year, $2.75 million contract with Carolina. Expected to be the Panthers’ backup, Dowdle stepped in for an injured Chuba Hubbard during Weeks 5-6 and combined for 389 rushing yards in a pair of wins.
Dowdle ultimately surpassed Hubbard on the depth chart, accumulating more than 1,000 rushing yards over his final 14 games (including playoffs) alone.
With 1,023 yards from scrimmage and a team-most 73 receptions, Gainwell was productive for the Steelers in 2025 but not the most ideal complement to Warren because each thrived in the same style. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Dowdle is more of a traditional, between-the-tackles physical runner who might handle early-down duty while Warren does the third-down and passing-situation roles he excels at.
