Cowboys make feelings on Panthers' Rico Dowdle clear ahead of Week 6 revenge game

Dallas Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones shared his thoughts on the team's former running back and current Carolina Panthers rusher Rico Dowdle.

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Ahead of the Week 6 game between the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, one of the big storylines is the revenge game angle for running back Rico Dowdle.

Of course, Dowdle entered the league with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent signing in 2020 and spent four years in Dallas.

But despite having a career year in 2024 and the Cowboys having zero prospects at the running back position, Dowdle was allowed to walk in free agency and ultimately landed in Carolina.

So, why did the Cowboys let Dowdle go? Dallas' co-owner, Stephen Jones, touched on that subject on Monday.

“We were huge fans of [Rico Dowdle], but we made a conscious decision to go for Javonte [Williams], even though we had a lot of love for Rico," Jones said. “My hats off to Rico. What a hell of a game he had. He’ll be a handful for us.”

After torching the Miami Dolphins for over 200 yards last week, Dowdle said the Cowboys need to "buckle up" for him ahead of this week's game, and Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer offered a friendly response.

"I know we're going to have to buckle up,'' Schottenheimer said. "We'll bring our seatbelts, Rico. We'll buckle up. Can't wait to see him though.''

Dowdle has since doubled-down on his comment, but it appears to be all in good, competitive fun and he doesn't seem to have ill will toward his former team.

"They've got to buckle up,'' he clarified. "That was just meaning it's going to be a very physical game. I take pride in that. Buckle your chinstraps up. I will be coming.''

What Dowdle's role will be remains to be seen, as Chuba Hubbard might return from injury this week. However, Hubbard did not log any practice participation on Wednesday afternoon, so it's not looking good for him to start the week.

If Hubbard is out, it'll be another big workload for Dowdle against a Cowboys unit that owns the 10th-worst run defense in the NFL.

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