Rico Dowdle was one of the breakout running backs in October and early November. However, the back’s production fell off, and Dowdle ended the year with just one double-digit carry game in his last four games.
He isn’t ready to sweep the drop in carries under the rug, according to comments made in the locker room on Sunday via The Athletic’s Joe Person. Person reported that Dowdle indicated his drop in usage will impact what he decides to do if or when he hits the open market.
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“Just want to be a guy that can go out there and just get the bulk and try and let it run,” Dowdle said. “Like I said, I think that my game just shows the more I get throughout the games, the stronger and better I get so just want to take that into consideration from how I played out the last couple of weeks.
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You know we got two great guys in the backfield. You know it be hard sometimes and coach just gotta find a way to figure it out.”
According to Spotrac, Dowdle played the 2025 season on a one-year, $2.75 million deal. Unless Carolina re-signs him, the back will hit free agency.
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Exploring potential landing spots for Rico Dowdle
With running back serving as one of the least stable positions in the NFL on a year-to-year basis, Rico Dowdle could end up a number of places. If he leaves Carolina, he could make sense with a perennial Super Bowl contender or a couple of teams looking to bounce back.
One frontrunner could be the Kansas City Chiefs, depending on how the team wants to use its draft capital. Dowdle doesn’t want to play on a committee and Kansas City is heading for a backfield refresh. Assuming the team can convince Dowdle that he won’t have to share, his addition could save the team a pick.
The Washington Commanders also make sense, as the franchise wasn’t given much of a reason to go all-in on Chris Rodriguez Jr. or Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
The New Orleans Saints could also make sense for Rico Dowdle as a team in the midst of a rebuild that might not want to spend a premium pick on a running back to likely replace Alvin Kamara.
Edited by Ian Van Roy
