Nov 16, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) runs with the ball in the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Steelers Contract Details for Rico Dowdle Revealed

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI
By Noah Strackbein | Last updated Mar 10, 2026 9:30 AM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their next running back alongside Jaylen Warren. After watching Kenneth Gainwell sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Steelers went out and signed Rico Dowdle , bringing in the former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys runner who played for head coach Mike McCarthy.

Now, the contract details of that deal have come out.

According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Steelers signed Dowdle to a two-year contract worth $12.25 million, bringing his average salary to $6.125 million per season. That pays him just under a million dollars less than what Warren is making the next two years, averaging just over $7 million per season on his contract extension.

#Steelers deal for veteran running back Rico Dowdle: two years, $12.25 million, per a league source
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 10, 2026

Dowdle's deal is also less than Gainwell's, who signed a two-year, $14 million with the Buccaneers.

Steelers Plan at Running Back

The addition of Dowdle changes a lot of things for the Steelers. With the hope of making Jaylen Warren a passing down and explosive running back, Pittsburgh has now added a bigger runner who can work better in short yardage and add an element to the running game that was missing last season.

With Warren and Gainwell, there really was no 3rd and 1 running back on the roster. Warren is capable of being a bully on the inside, but works much better as a player in space. Gainwell was the same way.

Dowdle now adds a 6-foot, 215-pound running back to the depth chart who can work in all circumstances, adding a pairing to Warren that should work better.

Coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons, Dowdle joins Warren, who had a 1,000-yard all-purpose season himself. With Kaleb Johnson being their RB3 behind them, their running back may be complete for the 2026 season.

Steelers Salary Cap Situation

Pittsburgh came into the legal tampering period with roughly $52 million in available cap space. They have signed Dowdle, traded for Michael Pittman Jr. and re-signed Asante Samuel Jr. and Cole Holcomb.

Signing Samuel Jr. and Holcomb to a combined $6.5 million per season, and Dowdle to another $6.125 million per season, they'd be down to just about $40 million before Pittman's contract. Right now, that's estimated to be about $24 million in 2026.

That leaves the Steelers will roughly $16 million to work with moving forward. Now, they have ways to add more money to their salary cap, including restructures to T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, DK Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey.

They've also been speaking with teams about trading inside linebacker Patrick Queen, which would add about another $17 million to the cap total.

Don't expect the Steelers to slow down on roster moves just yet. This team has made plenty of splash already and have more coming as free agency continues to ramp up.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Steelers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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