Steelers RB Rico Dowdle Leaves Patriots Game With Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle was carted to the locker room against the New England Patriots.

Sep 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) runs against Atlanta Falcons linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. (56) during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A key piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was carted off into the locker room.

Running back Rico Dowdle suffered an injury on a strip sack by New England right outside of the red zone, which saw the ball bounce down towards midfield.

Dowdle was among the players who was in pursuit of the ball, but he was collided with once or twice while failing to come up with it.

Per Steelers Now's Alan Saunders, Dowdle has a toe injury and is questionable to return.

The 28-year-old signed a two-year, $12.25 million deal with Pittsburgh in free agency this past offseason, reuniting with his former Dallas Cowboys head coach, Mike McCarthy, in the process.

Before departing the contest with his injury, Dowdle had rushed for 11 yards on four carries while adding nine yards on a single reception.

In Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons, he ran for 15 yards on eight attempts while also hauling in two passes for six yards.

The Steelers have struggled to get much of anything going on offense so far this season, particularly in the ground game, and losing Dowdle for any amount of time would further exacerbate those issues.

Sep 20, 2026; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots safety Craig Woodson (4) tackles Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rico Dowdle (13) in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Where Do Steelers Go From Here at RB?

Instead of a relatively even split with Dowdle, Jaylen Warren should get a vast majority of the touches out of the backfield for as long as the former is sidelined.

Travis Homer, who was elevated from the practice squad this week, appears to be next in line behind Warren for carries.

Since Dowdle left the game, Homer has posted 16 yards on two attempts.

Eli Heidenreich is the other option at running back on the roster, though he has yet to garner a touch through the first six quarters of his NFL career.

While Homer has been efficient over a small sample size up to this point and could help spell Warren, the latter is going to be relied on rather heavily both on the ground and through the air for the time being.

The hope is that Dowdle's injury isn't serious and that he can return. Until there's more clarity on where he stands from a health perspective, however, Warren's going to find himself in an elevated role for a Steelers offense that desperately needs to get going over a slow start to the season.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI, and find our podcast All Steelers Talk on YouTube or anywhere you listen!