Rico Dowdle is a Man of His Word

Dowdle made good on his promise, turning 30 carries into 183 yards, adding 56 yards and a touchdown on four receptions, leading the Panthers to a 30-27 victory over his old team.

After the game, Dowdle had a simple recap of the Cowboys' attempts to contain him:

Sure, the Cowboys have to be happy with what Javonte Williams has done so far this season as their lead back. But Sunday against Carolina, Williams was held to just 29 yards on 13 carries (2.2 yards per attempt), while Dowdle gashed their defense on the ground and through the air. Williams did catch five passes out of the backfield Sunday, but managed just five total yards on those receptions.

Hubbard signed a four-year contract extension with the Panthers last November, so the team is still clearly invested him financially as their top option in the backfield. When he's back to full strength, he'll likely return to the top of the depth chart, and take the first-team reps.

But at the very least, Dowdle has proven over the past two weeks that he can give Carolina one of the best backup running backs in the league, and that there won't be any drop-off whenever Hubbard comes off the field. Having both backs at full strength will allow the Panthers to enjoy a consistently effective run game, particularly late in games when opposing defenses start to tire.

And since he's only on that one-year deal in Carolina, Dowdle is putting the rest of the league on notice as they prepare for the 2026 offseason, making it clear that he's capable of handling a full load of touches as a featured back who can make big plays on all three downs.

An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2020, Dowdle is no stranger to proving his doubters wrong. But after the last two weeks, there shouldn't be many of those left.