The Pittsburgh Steelers could look to land a playmaking running back during NFL free agency.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions that need to be answered heading into the 2026 NFL offseason.
First and foremost, the Steelers will need to figure out what they're going to do at the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers played the 2025 season on a one-year contract. He is a free agent once again entering this offseason.
While there have been a lot of rumblings about Rodgers re-signing with Pittsburgh, that decision still needs to be made.
Mike McCarthy has taken over as the Steelers' new head coach after Mike Tomlin chose to resign to begin the offseason. Rodgers played previously with McCarthy on the Green Bay Packers. It would not be surprising to see the two have interest in reuniting in Pittsburgh.
Keeping that in mind, the Steelers could use more offensive firepower around whoever ends up being the starting quarterback.
To that end, Fox Sports analyst Greg Auman has suggested that Pittsburgh could make an impact signing at the running back position. He has predicted that the Steelers will end up signing Carolina Panthers free agent running back Rico Dowdle.
"Dowdle, 27, has had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Cowboys and Panthers — nearly identical years, within 3 yards and one carry of each other, with the exact same number of catches," Auman wrote.
"He had a lukewarm market a year ago and signed for $2.75 million with Carolina, but doubled his pay by cashing out another $2.75 million in incentives. Carolina leaning on Chuba Hubbard down the stretch could have him signing elsewhere. Would Mike McCarthy like him for a Dallas reunion in Pittsburgh?"
Dowdle would be a very interesting addition for Pittsburgh.
During the 2025 NFL season with the Panthers, the 27-year-old running back played in all 17 games. He carried the football 236 times for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Dowdle also caught 39 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown.
Assuming the price tag is reasonable, this could be a sleeper move for the Steelers. He could make plays both on the ground and through the air for Pittsburgh.
Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding the Steelers as the NFL offseason gets underway. It's worth keeping an eye on Dowdle as a potential option for Pittsburgh.