© Jim Dedmon/Imagn
After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2020, it took Rico Dowdle several seasons to establish himself as a starting-caliber running back.
In 2024, he rushed for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns as the lead back for the Dallas Cowboys. He then signed a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Carolina Panthers in free agency with the vision of splitting time with established starter Chuba Hubbard.
When Hubbard got injured early in the season, Dowdle carried the load, including a two-game stretch where he rushed for 389 yards and a touchdown on 53 carries, an average of 7.3 yards per carry.
However, his production fell off heavily toward the end of the season.
Dowdle combined for just 156 yards on 49 carries over his last five games, an average of 3.2 yards per carry, and just nine yards on five carries in Carolina’s NFC Wild Card round loss to the Rams.
Rico Dowdle Blames Fall Off On Lack Of Opportunity
After the game, Dowdle said that the late-season struggles, which he blamed on lack of opportunity, could change his plans in free agency.
“That definitely is a factor,” he said. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
He then took to social media and posted a graph that charted average yards before contact and average yards after contact among running backs between weeks 10 and 17 of the regular season.
The line didn’t just fall off a cliff trust me lil bro! You’ll see 😈🤞🏾 https://t.co/rrnuN5cBEg pic.twitter.com/cw1PoP7Xiz
— Rico Dowdle (@ricodowdle) January 12, 2026
To Dowdle’s credit, the chart did show that he was often contacted shortly after getting the ball. However, what he failed to note was that it also showed that he was second-worst among all NFL starting running backs at gaining yards after contact in that stretch.
So either Dowdle struggled to make defenders miss or he struggled to break tackles. Perhaps both. But either way, the chart didn’t paint a positive picture of a running back hoping to be well paid in free agency.