The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms with former Panthers and Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle. He will be reunited with his former coach, Mike McCarthy, who saw value in him as the Steelers sought to replace their 2025 team MVP, Kenneth Gainwell.
Depth Chart
Rico Dowdle and incumbent RB Jaylen Warren are likely to partake in a backfield by committee, similar to the Steelers’ 1A & 1B approach in 2025. The offense will be different under McCarthy, but the signing of such a strong RB2, and one the new Head Coach is familiar with, suggests a large role in 2026.
Fantasy Impact
The Steelers’ backfield split is not ideal for the fantasy football world, but it does carry some value. Last year, the Warren/Gainwell backfield accounted for 2,314 yards from scrimmage, 113 receptions, and 16 TDs. With Gainwell vacating his 1,023 yards, 73 catches, and 8 TDs, there’s quite a bit of production for Dowdle to pick up.
Dowdle accounted for 1,373 yards from scrimmage on his own in Carolina last year, and 1,328 in ’24 under McCarthy, showing he’s more than capable of producing like a strong fantasy football RB2.
Opportunity will be key for Dowdle. Although he has RB2 production when used as a feature back, all signs point to him splitting duties with Jaylen Warren, which hurts his fantasy value.
Both Warren and Dowdle will be low-end flex options as an RB3 or high-end RB4s. Either could become a strong RB2 in the case that their backfield mate goes down with an injury.
Kaleb Johnson
The signing of Dowdle doesn’t bode well for Steelers 2025 3rd round pick Kaleb Johnson. After a season in the deep, dark doghouse of Mike Tomlin, many thought Johnson was poised to take advantage of the opportunity under the new regime.
The Steelers’ latest addition to their RB room renders Johnson utterly invisible from a fantasy football perspective. He will not carry any redraft value unless there is a significant injury in the Steelers backfield.
