March 10 (UPI) — The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to a two-year, $12.25 million contract with running back Rico Dowdle, his agency, Athletes First, announced.
Dowdle reached the agreement with the Steelers on Monday night. The 27-year-old running back eclipsed 1,300 yards from scrimmage over each of the last two seasons, including a career-best 1,373 in 2025 for the Carolina Panthers.
Dowdle, who initially signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2020, totaled 3,230 yards from scrimmage and 16 scores over the the first 69 appearances of his NFL career. He missed the 2021 campaign due to a preseason hip injury.
He will now enter a Steelers running backs room that also features Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson. Warren led the Steelers with a career-high 1,291 yards from scrimmage, including 958 rushing yards, and eight scores last season.
Kenneth Gainwell, who finished second among Steelers runners last season with 1,023 yards from scrimmage and eight scores, agreed to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday.
The Panthers’ running backs room currently features Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Brooks and Trevor Etienne.
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