Steelers RB Rico Dowdle reunites with Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh after his mom’s spot-on prediction
Dowdle reunites with McCarthy after a 1,000-yard season and gives Pittsburgh a veteran backfield option following Kenny Gainwell’s departure.
- On Thursday, Rico Dowdle confirmed his mother, Leslie Dowdle, predicted his move to the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he signed a two-year deal to reunite with head coach Mike McCarthy.
- McCarthy coached Dowdle for five seasons in Dallas before the running back spent 2025 with Carolina, where he supplanted Chuba Hubbard as the starter during a playoff run.
- Pittsburgh hopes to utilize a versatile backfield by pairing the 218-pound Dowdle with Warren, a compact 208-pound runner who previously shared duties with Najee Harris and Kenny Gainwell.
- Running backs coach Ramon Chinyoung noted the duo creates a 'Thunder and Lightning' atmosphere, stating, "We got two guys who can go out there and do the job at a high level."
- Both backs are signed through 2027, providing Pittsburgh with long-term stability as they aim to improve an offense that struggled with consistency while missing Dak Prescott in 2024.
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Steelers’ Rico Dowdle happy to reunite with Mike McCarthy
PITTSBURGH — Leslie Dowdle called it. Months before her son Rico entered free agency after running for more than 1,000 yards for Carolina, Leslie Dowdle rang Rico just minutes after the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that Mike McCarthy would replace Mike Tomlin as head coach in January. “She called me and said, ‘You’re going to Pittsburgh,’” Rico Dowdle said Thursday. “Like, soon as he got hired, that’s the first thing she said.” As McCarthy joke…
Associated Press News
Steelers RB Rico Dowdle reunites with Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh after his mom’s spot-on prediction
Rico Dowdle has reunited with Mike McCarthy, just as his mother Leslie predicted. The NFL running back signed to play for McCarthy in Pittsburgh following a successful partnership in Dallas earlier in their respective careers.
Steelers Sights & Sounds: First Look at Backfield Addition Rico Dowdle
Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rico Dowdle at an OTA practice on May 28, 2026. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now PITTSBURGH — With Kenneth Gainwell having left in free agency, Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers picked up former Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers tailback Rico Dowdle. Dowdle is in his first week of practice with the new team, and can be seen here during Thursday’s session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I definitely envision the…
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