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Red-hot Panthers playmaker ranked among NFL’s best offseason additions of 2025

It’s been a great two weeks for Panthers’ running back Rico Dowdle. An NFL analyst has the surging performer among the league's top pickups this offseason.
Russell Baxter|
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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Week 7 of the 2025 NFL season got underway on Thursday night at Cincinnati, with the Bengals edging the Steelers, 33-31. Earlier in the day, Garrett Podell of CBS Sports released a list of the Top 10 acquisitions made by teams this offseason. It was hardly a surprise to see current Carolina Panthers’ running back Rico Dowdle at No. 6.

After running for a career-best 1,079 yards with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. Dowdle inked a one-year, $2.75 million deal with Dave Canales’s club earlier this year. He made his first two starts the past two weeks with his new club.

“On paper, it would appear that (Javonte) Williams,” said Podell, “Dowdle’s successor as Dallas’ lead running back, is off to a better start to 2025 than Dowdle. However, Dowdle has only had two weeks as Carolina’s lead back with Chuba Hubbard (calf) missing the last two weeks.”

Rico Dowdl
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) celebrates a first down during the second half against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

“His production,” added Podell, “across Week 5 vs. the Miami Dolphins (206 yards rushing and a touchdown on 23 carries; 28 receiving yards on 3 catches) and Week 6 vs. the Cowboys (183 yards rushing on 30 carries; 56 receiving yards on 4 catches) is historic. Dowdle’s 473 yards from scrimmage the last two weeks are the most in a player’s first two starts with a team since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger, according to CBS Sport Research.”

“Add in how he challenged Dallas to “buckle up” before he ran them over for 183 yards,” summed up Podell, “and he gets the slight edge early on over Williams.”

Next up for Dowdle and the Panthers are the New York Jets. More importantly, Hubbard is expected to play this week as the team looks for a third straight win. Will the duo split carries this week against the Jets’ mediocre run defense?

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.