Steelers Need Offensive Help, And Might Get It This Week

The Pittsburgh Steelers' offense could receive some major help against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5.

While wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) was ruled out against his former team after aggravating his injury this week, running back Rico Dowdle (toe) was listed as questionable after registering as a limited participant in each practice session this week.

Dowdle hasn't played since dislocating his toe twice in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, but there's now a shot he'll return vs. Indianapolis for a Steelers offense that could really use his skill set both on the ground and through the air.

Aug 21, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) runs the ball against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dowdle's Potential Return Could Help Take Advantage of a Suspect Colts Defense

Truth be told, the Steelers' run game never quite got going when Dowdle was healthy over the first two weeks of the season.

A lot of the blame could be attributed to Pittsburgh's offensive line, which has now swapped in Brock Hoffman and Max Iheanachor at right guard and right tackle, respectively, in place of Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook.

Those changes have paid off thus far, and Jaylen Warren has shined during Dowdle's absence while having more room to operate.

In the two games that Dowdle has been sidelined for while being on the mend, Warren has posted a combined 302 yards on 40 touches against the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns.

It could be more of the same against a Colts defense that has allowed 131.0 rushing yards per game, which is the seventh-most in the NFL, while also being tied for the fifth-most EPA/rush according to SumerSports at 0.02.

Should Dowdle be back on the field vs. Indianapolis, he could have an easy runway towards a strong performance while likely being eased back in as Warren commands most of the workload out of the backfield.

How Many Touches Could Dowdle Command vs. Colts?

When both Warren and Dowdle were fully healthy in the Steelers' Week 1 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, the former had 73 yards over 15 touches while the latter finished with 10 touches for 21 yards.

If Dowdle does play, which is still up in the air considering he's questionable, it's far to expect that Warren will continue to get a lion's share of the reps and touches.

Dowdle should still get the ball considerably more than Travis Homer did against the Browns (two carries for -1 yards) or Bengals (one carry for no yards) while serving as the No. 2 running back in the former's absence.

He won't be featured prominently in all likelihood, but Dowdle's number will still be called a handful of times at the very least if he does play against the Colts.

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