Rico Dowdle at his introductory press conference on March 13, 2026. — Pittsburgh Steelers
PITTSBURGH — Weeks before Rico Dowdle put pen to paper and joined the Pittsburgh Steelers, his mother put the move into the ether.
All it took was seeing the news that Mike McCarthy was taking over for his hometown team.
“I think my mom was the first one to say it,” the tailback said after Thursday’s OTA practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “When she’d seen him get hired, she called me and said, ‘You’re going to Pittsburgh.’ Like, as soon as he got hired, that’s the first thing she said.”
Dowdle played under McCarthy with the Dallas Cowboys from 2020-24, getting his first shot to prove himself as a legitimate pro ball carrier. He went for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns on 235 carries during their last year together with America’s Team, then joined the Carolina Panthers for last season.
With the Steelers, Dowdle joins Jaylen Warren, both being guys who went undrafted before their play demanded solid roles in an offense. Steelers running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung believes the pair will take on a “thunder and lightning” sort of identity. Warren slimmed down some this offseason — he weights 208 pounds right now, he said — and Dowdle showed up this week looking tough to drag down.
Chinyoung also said on Wednesday that McCarthy stresses having 55 rushes and completions per game, an objective that Dowdle credits as part of the reason he was able to make a name for himself in Dallas.
Dowdle is also happy to be back working with Chinyoung, who he said has a “one of a kind” personality.
Mentioned In This Article: Mike McCarthy Pittsburgh Steelers Rico Dowdle Steelers