Rico Dowdle points finger at Panthers' O-line after late-season fade

Rico Dowdle struggled a lot as the season wound down.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs the ball against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed (90) during the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

It's no secret that Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle ended the season with a whimper. His struggles were well-documented, and he was essentially benched for Chuba Hubbard in the playoff game.

He now hits free agency with a bit of uncertainty. He took the NFL world by storm, but that interest faded as the season went on, and he finished without even recording a 10-yard rush in a few games.

Who's to blame, and what does it mean? Well, Rico Dowdle has an idea who to blame, and he told a chatty fan on X exactly who.

Rico Dowdle claps back at fan, criticizes Panthers' offensive line

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

After taking the job from Chuba Hubbard, here were Rico Dowdle's rushing totals by game:

• 206
• 183
• 79
• 54
• 130
• 53
• 45
• 38
• 58
• 49
• 29
• 59
• 10
• 9 (playoffs)

He's unlikely to return to the Panthers, and one fan boldly bid him farewell after ripping his late-season rushing statistics. Dowdle didn't let it slide.

The line didn’t just fall off a cliff trust me lil bro! You’ll see 😈🤞🏾 https://t.co/rrnuN5cBEg pic.twitter.com/cw1PoP7Xiz

— Rico Dowdle (@ricodowdle) January 12, 2026

He shared a graphic that seems to illustrate what went wrong. A banged-up Panthers' offensive line just couldn't generate any push. Only a couple of running back sacross the league had fewer rushing yards before contact.

Those include Ashton Jeanty, Quinshon Judkins, and Woody Marks. Those backs had, most agree, some of the worst offensive lines in football blocking for them. It's not ideal that, after Week 10, the Panthers' line was akin to those lines.

Dowdle's success was twofold. He's a good running back who got an opportunity against some bad defenses and went off. He was solid as a starter after, but as the line struggled and deteriorated, he couldn't do much.

His yards after contact were also very low, with only one RB lower, which means the struggle was partly him and partly the offensive line. It will affect his free agency, but teams will also see what he did when the line got good push before Week 10.

Whatever the case, the Panthers don't have the line to help Dowdle succeed as it stands, and so it makes no sense for them to re-sign him for a much longer, more expensive contract.

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