According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms with running back Rico Dowdle on a two-year, $12.25 million deal after his breakout campaign with the Carolina Panthers.
Dowdle rushed for 1,076 yards in 2025, giving him back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons after previously hitting the mark with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. While he’ll be missed, his departure clears a path for a player the Panthers fans have been waiting to see. That, of course, is 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks.
Even with Dowdle coming off a strong season, his departure never felt especially surprising.
Rico Dowdle's departure gives Carolina Panthers' green light to unleash Jonathon Brooks
Running backs rarely command major deals in free agency, but a contract worth over $6 million per year is still a meaningful commitment for a position that teams increasingly rotate. For Carolina, allocating that type of cash to Dowdle would have complicated the team’s long-term backfield plans.
Those plans have long centered around Brooks. Injuries, however, delayed that timeline.
After tearing his ACL during his final college season at Texas, Brooks missed the first 10 games of his rookie campaign while rehabbing. He finally made his debut in Week 12, only to re-tear the same ACL in his third game, forcing Carolina to shut him down for the entire 2025 season.
Despite that difficult stretch, the Panthers remain optimistic about his recovery. Head coach Dave Canales also offered an optimistic assessment earlier this offseason.
“He’s flying around,” Canales said. “He’s one of the more powerful, explosive athletes that we have -- and he’s going to have an opportunity to compete to start for this team.”
Brooks is still only 22. The Panthers continue to believe his combination of burst, vision, and physicality could make him a difference maker once he’s fully healthy. With Dowdle now in Pittsburgh, Carolina’s backfield picture becomes clearer.
Chuba Hubbard is expected to remain RB1, while 2025 fourth-round pick Trevor Etienne also will compete for touches. But Brooks is the player with the highest ceiling, and potentially the biggest opportunity.
Dowdle’s strong 2025 season gave Carolina stability during Brooks’ recovery. Now that the veteran has cashed in on that performance with the Steelers, the Panthers appear ready to turn the page.
If Brooks’ rehab continues trending upward, with a planned return in time for OTAs on the table, the door that Dowdle’s exit opened could quickly turn into a starting role. And for a player the franchise invested a second round pick in just two years ago, that may have been the plan all along.