Steelers Nab Rico Dowdle in Free Agency; Fantasy Football RBs Stocks Rise and Fall

The Steelers signed Rico Dowdle to a two-year deal, thus favoring select key players on the affected teams.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) with the ball in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost Kenneth Gainwell yesterday, but they went on and gained Rico Dowdle. The Steelers will be without Arthur Smith calling plays, and Aaron Rodgers' status at the helm is TBD. However, they have weapons inserted to perform quite well, as with Dowdle pairing with Jaylen Warren in the backfield. Of course, this has fantasy football implications, and today, we give a full analysis of what to expect.

Fantasy Football Impact

The Steelers running back depth chart looks very similar to that of 2025. It simply plugs and plays Dowdle instead of Gainwell. This is the Pittsburgh current 2026 offense:

• RB1: Jaylen Warren
• RB2: Rico Dowdle
• RB3: Kaleb Johnson

It is important for us to note that Arthur Smith has left the Steelers amid the departure of Mike Tomlin. He now calls plays for Ohio State football. The new offensive coordinator in town is Brian Angelichio, former tight ends coach/pass game coordinator for the Vikings. As the head coach, the team rolls with Mike McCarthy.

There are no clear outlooks on the Steelers' expected run rate; however, based on what these coaches have shown in the past, it may be balanced.

We can expect these volatile run and target shares by player:

Steelers Running Back Shares

• 45-55% Jaylen Warren
• 35-45%: Rico Dowdle

Steelers Running Back Target Shares

• 5-10%: Jaylen Warren
• 10-15%: Rico Dowdle

Both of these running backs will linger as low-end RB2's with volatile expectations. Either player can fall or rise heavily in this offense to command 2/3rds or more of the running back work. Until we see what the Steelers hold on offense this season, the risk downgrades each player from mid-tier RB2.

In Carolina, different things happen, and there, with more clarity. The team has Chuba Hubbard and the not-forgotten, Jonathan Brooks. Dave Canales has emphasized that they plan to use Brooks in a bruiser role in 2026. He will split work with Hubbard in a very solid 1-2 punch.

Steelers Sign Rico Dowdle at Running Back

The Steelers went on to sign Dowdle to a 2-year, $12.25 million contract on Monday, March 9. With the Panthers in 2025, Dowdle went off for over 1,000 rushing yards. Dowdle has now achieved back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons with the Panthers and Cowboys, despite neither being expected to do so in either year.

The impending offense in Pittsburgh looks similar to that of 2025 with Gainwell. With a new coaching staff in town, there is much volatility to be figured out as the season approaches six months from now.