Carolina Panthers Will Really Regret Letting Rico Dowdle Land with Steelers

There's good news and bad news for the Carolina Panthers as it pertains to Rico Dowdle. He's gone in free agency to the Pittsburgh Steelers after a breakthrough campaign in Carolina.

The good news is that the Panthers saved a bit of money and prevented themselves from maintaining an absolute logjam in the backfield. Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks make more sense than those two plus Dowdle.

The bad news is that Dowdle has a habit of making former teams regret letting him go, and the Panthers face the Steelers this year.

Rico Dowdle's going to make the Panthers regret letting him walk

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Panthers probably made the right choice letting Rico Dowdle go. The mechanics of bringing him back and sorting out the backfield were difficult, and he was the odd man out despite being arguably the best back on the roster.

However, just because it was the right move doesn't mean they won't regret it eventually. Dowdle will be a good player for the Steelers because he was a good player for the Panthers. And if Chuba Hubbard doesn't bounce back, the Panthers will not have a good rushing attack.

Dowdle faded down the stretch last year, but Hubbard, once he returned and was healthy, didn't really provide much either. The running game was not as good as it should've been, but at least Dowdle was the more productive player most of the time.

The Panthers are counting on Hubbard to bounce back and for Jonathon Brooks' knee not to be totally shot. That's a lot of hope when we have a pretty good idea of what Dowdle will look like next year.

Dave Canales believes a strong run game is the best thing for a young quarterback like Bryce Young. So if the Panthers struggle in that are and when Dowdle is having a solid year for Pittsburgh, the second-guessing will begin.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

There's also the matter of the schedule. The Panthers will face the Steelers this year. The Panthers faced the Dallas Cowboys, Dowdle's former team, in 2025, and he made them pay in a big way.

He warned them to buckle up, and then he dropped over 200 scrimmage yards on them. He's definitely the type to hold a grudge, so with how things concluded here in Carolina, you can bet on another "buckle up" type of warning coming from the Steelers back.

The Panthers' run defense should be better in 2026 than the Cowboys' was in 2025, but it's still not going to be elite. They're going to have their hands full with Dowdle, and he might make Dan Morgan regret not trying to bring him back.