The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had a top-10 rushing offense since 2007, often sitting closer to the bottom than the top of the league in rushing yards per game. That included a 26th ranked ground game last year with 103.3 rushing yards per game — not the ideal recipe to support a 42-year-old starting quarterback.

Mike McCarthy hopes that will change this year and thinks Rico Dowdle is a key to making it happen.

“When you’ve got an aging quarterback, you’ve got to find ways to support him, and a strong running game could really help. The Steelers didn’t have one last year. But McCarthy thinks the signing of RB Rico Dowdle could change that,” FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano wrote after a conversation with McCarthy at Steelers training camp Sunday. “Dowdle should end up as the workhorse in the Steelers’ backfield. And if he plays well, he and Jaylen Warren could be a potent tandem.”

Dowdle had over 1,000 rushing yards and 1,373 yards from scrimmage despite just 11 starts last season for the Carolina Panthers. There was a five-week stretch in the middle of the season where he was the most productive running back in the NFL. It was a big reason why the Panthers ended up qualifying for the playoffs against the odds.

Now Dowdle reunites with the same coach who helped turn him into a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024.

Neither player suited up in Thursday’s preseason opener, but the initial depth chart listed Warren ahead of Dowdle. McCarthy, however, advised against reading too much into those early depth charts. Based on training camp practices, both players rotated in the starting lineup.

McCarthy has a lengthy history of having two starter-quality running backs in his offense. In five seasons with the Cowboys, the workload between RB1 and RB2 averaged out to roughly a two-to-one split. The only season with a relatively even distribution of touches came in 2022, when Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard shared the backfield.

Warren’s talent deserves something closer to the 2022 split, but McCarthy’s history suggests a wider gap is possible. And if McCarthy is privately leaning toward Dowdle as the “workhorse” to solve Pittsburgh’s run-game issue, it may come at the expense of Warren.

With an upgraded offensive line, a running back with a track record of 1,000-yard seasons, and an aging quarterback in need of run-game support, Dowdle has a chance to help define the Steelers’ 2026 offense.