Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner who played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League in 2025. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. Over five seasons with the Cowboys, he became the first undrafted free agent in franchise history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, earning recognition as a reliable and resilient offensive weapon.
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. Bio
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. is an American professional football running back and kickoff returner who played for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League in 2025. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks before signing as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020.
Dowdle established himself as a productive every-down running back during his 2024 season in Dallas, setting career highs across every major offensive category. After that breakout campaign, he signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2025, where he became the team’s leading rusher and delivered one of the most impressive rushing seasons in franchise history.
Early Life and Background
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. was born on June 14, 1998 in Gaffney, South Carolina. He attended A. C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, where his senior year proved to be one of the most dominant in Western North Carolina history. Dowdle was switched from running back to quarterback as a senior and responded by leading the team to an 11-2 overall record and a 6-0 mark in conference play. He carried the ball 247 times for 2,545 yards and 51 rushing touchdowns while also throwing for 1,434 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions, adding a 55-yard touchdown reception for good measure. His 63 total touchdowns in that season set a WNC single-season record, and he received All-WNC Player of the Year, Parade All-American, and All-state honors. Dowdle was a three-star recruit out of high school and committed to play college football at the University of South Carolina.
Path to the National Football League
Dowdle arrived at South Carolina in 2016 and immediately showed the potential that had drawn recruiting attention across the country. He dealt with a sports hernia that required offseason surgery and forced him to miss the first four games of his freshman season, but he appeared in nine games with seven starts and led the team with 133 carries for 764 yards and six rushing touchdowns.
Over the course of his four college seasons, Dowdle built an impressive production line that included eight 100-yard rushing games and a career-high 226-yard contest against Western Carolina University. He finished 15th on the South Carolina Gamecocks all-time rushing list, totaling 2,167 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 39 games. He also showcased his all-around skill set with 14 receptions for 133 yards and a receiving touchdown as a junior and played in the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl, rushing for fifty yards. Dowdle went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft but earned a roster spot after signing as a free agent.
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. Career
Early Career (2020–2024)
Dowdle signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys on April 27, 2020, and became one of ten rookies to make the Cowboys final roster as the third-string running back behind Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games and contributed primarily on special teams, tallying four kickoff returns for 152 yards, three special teams tackles, and seven carries for 24 yards. Injuries would become a recurring theme early in his professional career.
In 2021, Dowdle suffered a hip injury in the third preseason game against the Houston Texans and was placed on injured reserve on August 25. He returned in 2022 as the third-string running back but appeared in only five games before an ankle injury led to a second stint on injured reserve on October 15. He did not record any offensive statistics that season. In 2023, after Ezekiel Elliott was released, Dowdle became the backup running back behind Tony Pollard and began producing meaningful offensive numbers, appearing in 16 games and registering 89 carries for 361 yards, 17 receptions for 144 yards, and four total touchdowns.
On March 18, 2024, Dowdle signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys and seized his opportunity after battling through multiple injuries in his first four seasons. He earned the backup running back position behind Ezekiel Elliott following Pollard departure in free agency. In Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, he sat out with an illness, but he emerged as the team lead back in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons when he had 12 carries for 75 yards in the 21-27 loss while filling in for a suspended Elliott. In Week 15 against the Carolina Panthers, he posted 25 carries for 149 yards, and in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 23 carries for 104 yards and made history by becoming the first undrafted free agent to rush for 1,000 yards in a season in Cowboys history. He finished the 2024 season with career-high totals of 235 carries for 1,079 yards, two rushing touchdowns, 39 receptions for 249 yards, and three receiving touchdowns. The Cowboys did not re-sign him after the season.
Carolina Panthers Era (2025)
On March 12, 2025, Dowdle signed a one-year, $6.25 million contract with the Carolina Panthers to serve as the backup running back behind Chuba Hubbard, replacing Miles Sanders. Following an injury to Hubbard in Week 5, Dowdle was named the starter and immediately delivered one of the most impressive individual rushing performances in recent Panthers history. On October 5, 2025, he rushed for a career-high 206 yards and scored a touchdown in the Panthers 27-24 Week 5 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins. His 9 yards per carry that day was also a career high, and he fell four yards short of the Panthers single-game franchise rushing yards record, set by DeAngelo Williams in 2012 with 210 yards.
On October 12, in the Panthers 30-27 Week 6 win against the Dallas Cowboys, Dowdle rushed for 186 yards. He became the first player since Le’Veon Bell in 2014 to have at least 230 scrimmage yards in back-to-back games. Following Hubbard return, Dowdle maintained his starter role for the remainder of the season. Dowdle finished the 2025 season as the Panthers leading rusher with 1,076 rushing yards and six touchdowns, along with 39 catches for 297 yards and one touchdown through 17 games, including 11 starts. His consecutive 200-yard games ranked as one of the best individual stretches by any NFL running back that season.
Pittsburgh Steelers Era (2026–Present)
On March 13, 2026, Dowdle signed a two-year, $12.25 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He joined a Steelers offense looking for a reliable ball carrier and brought extensive experience as both a running back and kickoff returner to the team.
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. Career Wins
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. has established himself as a productive ball carrier across five NFL seasons, compiling over 2,500 rushing yards and nearly 700 receiving yards as a professional. His most notable statistical achievement came in 2024 when he became the first undrafted free agent in Dallas Cowboys history to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.
National Football League Highlights
Dowdle has played for three NFL teams and set career-high totals in the 2024 season with the Dallas Cowboys, posting 235 carries for 1,079 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 39 receptions for 249 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. He followed that performance with another 1,000-yard rushing season in 2025 for the Carolina Panthers, carrying 186 times for 1,076 yards and six touchdowns along with 39 receptions for 297 yards and one receiving touchdown. Across his NFL career through the end of 2025, he has recorded 2,540 rushing yards, 95 receptions for 690 receiving yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 6 receiving touchdowns, and 435 return yards.
Other Wins and Performances
During his college career at South Carolina, Dowdle finished 15th on the South Carolina Gamecocks all-time rushing list with 2,167 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns in 39 games, compiling eight 100-yard rushing games, including a career-best 226-yard contest. He played in the 2020 East-West Shrine Bowl and represented the school at one of the most prestigious postseason all-star events in college football.
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. Family
Personal Life
There is no verified publicly available information regarding Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. family background, parents, spouse, or children. Personal details about his life outside of football are not currently supported by available sources.
2025 Season Performance
Rico Sharod Dowdle Jr. 2025 season with the Carolina Panthers represented the finest stretch of his professional career to date. Following an offseason signing on a one-year, $6.25 million contract, Dowdle transitioned from backup to starter after an injury to Chuba Hubbard in Week 5 and delivered consecutive performances among the best in Panthers history.
His Week 5 performance against the Miami Dolphins featured 206 rushing yards on 23 carries and a touchdown, falling four yards short of the Panthers single-game franchise rushing record. The following week against the Dallas Cowboys, he added 186 more rushing yards, becoming the first player since Le’Veon Bell in 2014 to record 230-plus scrimmage yards in back-to-back games. Dowdle maintained his starter role even after Hubbard returned and appeared in 17 games with 11 starts, finishing the season as the Panthers leading rusher with 1,076 yards and six touchdowns along with 39 catches for 297 yards and one receiving touchdown. After the season, he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a two-year deal worth $12.25 million in March 2026.