The Pittsburgh Steelers made a nice splash this offseason in free agency, landing veteran running back Rico Dowdle on a two-year deal to help replace team MVP Kenneth Gainwell after he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.<\/p>\n
That underrated move<\/a> reunites Dowdle with first-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, whom he played under during his time in Dallas. Now, the big question is how things are split up between incumbent starting running back Jaylen Warren and Dowdle, who rushed for over 1,000 yards for the Carolina Panthers last season.<\/p>\n In Mike McCarthy’s 5 seasons with the Cowboys (RB relative % of total touches) #Steelers<\/a><\/p>\n ’24: ’23: ’22: ’21: ’20: \u2014 Ross McCorkle (@Ross_McCorkle) May 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Warren is coming off a career-best 952 rushing yards last season as the Steelers\u2019 top rusher, but there seems to be a general buzz building about Dowdle likely being the lead guy for the Black and Gold this season.<\/p>\n Through three training camp practices, longtime Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly sees Rico Dowdle leading the charge at running back.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, just guessing just how they employ them on the field, rep-wise so far, it looks like he\u2019s gonna be the main guy,\u201d Kaboly said of Dowdle, according to video via 93.7 The Fan.<\/a> \u201cThat main guy doesn\u2019t mean 90% of the snaps, maybe more 65 to 70. That\u2019s the way I look at it right now. There\u2019s a lot of talk about how violent of a runner he is. He not as big as you think he is, and he\u2019s quicker than at least I thought he was. At least more nimble.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I think Jaylen Warren\u2019s a really good football player. So, I think they\u2019ll get him both out there, but I think that\u2019ll definitely will be [the guy].<\/p>\n Kaboly is making that prediction based on his observations from camp, but according to Steelers Depot\u2019s Alex Kozora, the reps have been split pretty evenl<\/a>y. And particularly in the early installation sessions offensively, Warren has been the top running back in the mix.<\/p>\n On Friday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Warren was the lead back, according to Kozora, getting the first-team reps in the walkthrough.<\/a> Of course, this could all change once the pads come on Monday morning as Dowdle projects as the better fit physically in McCarthy\u2019s West Coast rushing attack.<\/p>\n\n
Dowdle \u2013 76.1%
Elliott \u2013 23.9%<\/p>\n
Pollard \u2013 74.3%
Dowdle \u2013 25.7%<\/p>\n
Elliott \u2013 51.7%
Pollard \u2013 48.3%<\/p>\n
Elliott \u2013 62.7%
Pollard \u2013 37.3%<\/p>\n
Elliott \u2013 69.7%
Pollard \u2013 30.3%<\/p>\n