Insider labels resurgent Panthers weapon the MVP at midseason

He didn’t make his first start until the fifth game of the season. One NFL writer says running back Rico Dowdle is the Panthers’ MVP at the halfway mark.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (77) celebrate after Dowdle runs for a first down to set up a game-winning field goal against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Panthers won the game, 16-13, on a 49-yard field goal as time expired. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Longtime Carolina Panthers’ writer Joseph Person has penned a piece for The Athletic summing up the team’s start this season. He says that Dave Canales’s club does “qualify as one of the league’s biggest surprises.”

“Behind Rico Dowdle’s splash running plays and splashier celebrations,” added Person, “rookie Tetairoa McMillan’s early impact and a suddenly resurgent defense, the Panthers (5-4) already have matched their win total from 2024, with eight games remaining.”

Throughout the piece, Person hands out what he calls “superlative.” From best game and worst game, to offensive and defensive MVP, and much more. Of course, he chose a team MVP for Canales’s club, and it’s hard to argue the selection of running back Rico Dowdle.

“Dowdle has gone from Chuba Hubbard’s backup to a top-three NFL back and one of the league’s most compelling storylines. After signing a prove-it deal worth $2.75 million, Dowdle has proved it every week. He leads the league with a first-down rushing rate of 32.82 percent and his 735 rushing yards rank third, despite games of three (vs. Jacksonville) and six carries (at Arizona) while Hubbard was the lead back.”

Oct 5, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) carries the ball during the second quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

In just his three starts this season, the former Dallas Cowboys’ 1,000-yard runner has rushed for a combined 519 yards and three touchdowns—totaling at least 130 yards on the ground in each of those outings.

“He’s a very explosive player,” said tackle Yosh Nijman (via Person). “Every down you’re getting the best of him. I think he’s just an inspiration to the rest of us to play harder, play longer, play better and just keep dominating, like dominating every play. He’s been giving us the keys to do that by how he’s playing.”

This is a Panthers’ team that is very much in the thick of the NFC South title chase. It appears to be growing in confidence, and Dowdle is certainly a big part of that mindset.

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