Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Ten touches in return to lineup
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Dowdle carried the ball seven times for 40 yards and caught three of four targets for nine yards in Sunday's 26-19 overtime win over the Buccaneers.
Seeing his first action since Week 2 after recovering from a toe issue, Dowdle took a back seat to Jaylen Warren in terms of touches (16 to 10) and scrimmage yards (78 to 49). The volume was still encouraging for Dowdle given how dominant Warren had been during his absence, but the split doesn't help the fantasy value of either RB. Dowdle may need to get into the end zone to make an impact in Week 7 against the Saints in Paris.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Week 6 return official
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Dowdle (toe) is active for Sunday's Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers.
Dowdle had teed up his active status by finishing Week 6 prep with consecutive full practices. The veteran offseason addition, who missed the last three games due to a toe dislocation, had been working in a true timeshare with Jaylen Warren over the first two games of the season, but the latter's 321 rushing yards, 169 receiving yards and two total touchdowns during Dowdle's absence will keep him in a clear lead-back role while Dowdle serves as a complementary option against a stout Buccaneers run defense.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: In line to play Sunday
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Dowdle (toe) is slated to play in Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Dowdle has been sidelined since a Week 2 loss at New England, when he dislocated the same toe on his right foot twice. After logging back-to-back full practices to cap Week 6 prep, he's expected to put an end to a three-game absence and rejoin Jaylen Warren out of the Steelers backfield. Considering how well Warren is running at the moment, Dowdle will slide back into a complementary role instead of split touches like the duo did before the latter was injured.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Back to full practice Thursday
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Dowdle (toe) was a full participant at Thursday's practice, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Dowdle upgraded to full participation Thursday after being limited Wednesday, putting him on track to return Sunday against the Buccaneers following a three-game absence. Jaylen Warren seized control of Pittsburgh's backfield with 490 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns during the three games Dowdle sat out, so Warren is expected to continue working in the lead role Sunday, with Dowdle on hand in a complementary capacity.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Practices in limited fashion
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Dowdle (toe) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
The Steelers are optimistic that Dowdle will put an end to a three-game absence and suit up Sunday against the Buccaneers, but he may need to upgrade to full practice participation by Friday in order to avoid taking a designation into the weekend. If Dowdle is cleared to play Sunday, he'll be in store for a lesser role than what he had previously handled, as Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy indicated earlier in the week that Jaylen Warren has earned the right to remain in a bell-cow role out of the backfield.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Inactive again in Week 5
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Dowdle (toe) is inactive for Sunday's Week 5 game against the Colts.
The veteran running back will miss a third consecutive game while tending to the toe injury he sustained in a Week 2 loss to the Patriots. Dowdle was able to practice in limited fashion during each session of Week 5 prep, so there appears to be a good chance he manages to gain clearance for a Week 6 road matchup against the Buccaneers next Sunday. Meanwhile, Jaylen Warren, who's logged 23 touches apiece in each of the first two games Dowdle has missed, will continue in a workhorse role out of the Steelers backfield against Indianapolis on Sunday.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Unlikely to suit up Sunday
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Dowdle (toe) is unlikely to play in Sunday's game against the Colts, but the Steelers will make a final decision after pregame warmups, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
While Dowdle was listed as limited during the entirety of Week 5 prep and went into the weekend as questionable to play, he appears destined to miss a third consecutive contest due to a lingering toe injury. If Dowdle is indeed inactive when the Steelers post their list approximately 90 minutes before a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff, Jaylen Warren again will handle a workhorse role out of the backfield.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Questionable for Week 5
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Dowdle (toe) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts, Mike DeFabo reports.
A limited practice participant throughout the week, Dowdle now enters the weekend with a chance to return from a two-game absence. If he's active for Pittsburgh, he won't necessarily jump right back into the 50/50 split that he and Jaylen Warren operated in at the beginning of the year. Warren thrived in Dowdle's absence and isn't on the injury report, so he looks like a solid fantasy start even if Dowdle avoids the inactive list ahead of a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff this Sunday.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Remains limited in practice
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Dowdle (toe) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Dowdle practiced for the second day in a row, albeit with a cap on his reps. Earlier Thursday, head coach Mike McCarthy told Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com that Dowdle's status for Sunday's game against the Colts is still up in the air, though the running back would put himself in good position to play this weekend if he's able to upgrade to full practice participation Friday. If Dowdle ultimately suits up versus the Colts, he'll likely be Option 1B in the backfield behind Jaylen Warren, who has averaged 6.5 yards per carry and 13.7 yards per reception over the past two weeks while Dowdle has been sidelined with a dislocated toe on his right foot.
Dowdle (toe) was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Earlier Wednesday, head coach Mike McCarthy told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Dowdle would be part of the rehab group to begin Week 5 prep, but the running back was apparently able to fit in enough work behind the scenes to log his first practice activity since dislocating a toe in the Steelers' Week 2 loss to New England. Given that he's missed the Steelers' past two games, Dowdle may need to upgrade to full practice participation by the end of the week in order to get cleared to play Sunday versus the Colts. If Dowdle is available this weekend, McCarthy has previously indicated that he would likely reclaim his spot in a backfield timeshare with Jaylen Warren, who has thrived while handling an every-down role over the past two games.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Remains in rehab group Wednesday
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Dowdle (toe) remained off to the side with the rehab group at Wednesday's practice, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Dowdle has missed Pittsburgh's past two games due to a dislocated toe. Starting the week off to the side isn't a good sign for Dowdle's Week 5 availability, but head coach Mike McCarthy did say the running back will do more in practice this week. Jaylen Warren has taken hold of Pittsburgh's backfield and will remain a borderline fantasy RB1 if Dowdle needs to miss another game.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Progressing, could play Week 5
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Head coach Mike McCarthy said that Dowdle (toe) had a positive workout Friday and is "making progress" in his recovery, but the Steelers aren't yet certain if he'll be available to play Week 5 versus the Colts, Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com reports.
Dowdle's right toe injury has kept him out for the past two games, with his consecutive absences enabling Jaylen Warren to take on a heightened role out of the backfield as Pittsburgh's clear top option. Though Warren has ran efficiently (6.5 yards per carry) on heavy volume (34 totes) while chipping in six receptions for 82 yards over the last two weeks, McCarthy emphasized that Dowdle will likely remain part of a "one-two punch" with Warren once he returns. Before sustaining the injury Week 2, Dowdle had struggled to find open running room, taking his 15 carries for just 37 yards (2.5 average).
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle: Ruled out for Week 4
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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: 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: 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: 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.
