Former Carolina Panthers running back is clearly bringing his bad-blood mentality to the Pittsburgh Steelers after free agency exit
Rico Dowdle is already aware of the upcoming revenge game on the calendar.
The Carolina Panthers are coming off a successful season that included a trip to the postseason and a division title after the offense under Dave Canales finally turned the right corner.
With quarterback Bryce Young at the helm, the Panthers leaned into a run-first approach led by starting running back Chuba Hubbard and 2025 free agent addition Rico Dowdle. It was a up-and-down style for the offense and the run game really took off when Hubbard was injured for two weeks, allowing Dowdle to step up in his place as the starter. Dowdle totaled 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns during that two-game span and had another strong game three weeks later when he rushed for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
However, those were the only three games all season in which Dowdle had 20+ rushing attempts. It was clear he could be an effective player when giving the lion’s share of the reps, but it’s not the style the Panthers were wanting to operate with. That reality opened the possibility that Dowdle would walk out of the door and find a lead role for himself following his one-year contract in Carolina.
Rico Dowdle joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency and already circled his next revenge game
After the season, Panthers general manager Dan Morgan revealed that he and Dowdle left his exit interview on good terms but was aware that Dowdle had a desire to explore other opportunities.
When free agency opened, Dowdle signed a two-year, $12,250,000 contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a much higher raise compared to his one-year, $2.75 million deal he signed with the Panthers the year before, and more importantly, it comes with an opportunity to be a lead back.
Dowdle has always been a hungry player with a chip on his shoulder. After the Dallas Cowboys let him go following a 1,000-yard season in 2024, he remembered how that felt and took it out on Dallas the following season when he rushed for 183 yards on 30 carries.
“They weren’t buckled up,” Dowdle said after that game, even after giving Dallas warning days before.
Well, now Dowdle has another revenge game coming up with the Steelers expected to host the Panthers during the 2026 regular season.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s definitely circled for sure,” Dowdle said about the eventual matchup during his introductory press conference with the Steelers. “It’s definitely circled for sure.”
It’s not true bad-blood in the sense of hatred toward the Panthers or a feeling that they did him dirty during his lone season in Carolina. That’s just the kind of mindset he has as a player. Just look at the comments he had after that game last year against Dallas.
“I know what I said, those comments. I talked to a couple of guys out there. They know I meant no harm, but that’s me. I just always talk, joke around with them and things like that,” Dowdle explained. “But yeah, just stand in the moment. Don’t never let it get too high. Don’t never get too low. I come here to do a job and I know what I got to do when I go out there.”
Anytime a player gets a chance to play with a little chip on their shoulder and talk some smack, they’re going to take it. Dowdle is no different, and his former Panthers teammates better buckle up when they step on the field with him again.
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