It’s early in NFL training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But it’s apparently not too early for veteran free agent signing Rico Dowdle to already hold an edge in the team’s backfield competition.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Chris Adamski reported Saturday morning that it’s become clear Dowdle is currently RB1 over incumbent running back Jaylen Warren.
Adamski wrote on X that he has made that determination based on Dowdle consistently receiving repetitions with the Steelers first-team offense at training camp.
Steelers insider Mark Kaboly has interpreted new head coach Mike McCarthy’s deployment of Dowdle and Warren at training camp in the same way. During a 93.7 The Fan appearance on Friday, Kaboly explained Dowdle holds the edge on the RB1 role.
“Just guessing, just how they employ them on the field rep wise so far, it looks like [Dowdle] is going to be the main guy,” said Kaboly, via Steelers Nation’s Brogan Noey. “Main guy doesn’t mean 90 percent of the snaps. Maybe more so 65-70, that’s the way I look at it right now.”
Why Rico Dowdle Holds Edge Over Jaylen Warren
GettyThe Pittsburgh Steelers signed running back Rico Dowdle to a 2-year, $12.25 million contract this offseason.
It’s a bit surprising to hear less than a week into training camp that Warren apparently has lost the inside track on the RB1 role. Last season, Warren ran for a career-high 958 rushing yards with six touchdowns.
However, Warren was a more efficient back while in a reserve role behind Najee Harris early in his career. From 2022-23, Warren averaged 5.1 yards per carry. Last season, he registered 4.5 yards per rush.
Dowdle is on his third team in three seasons. But he’s also coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns. Kaboly seemed to suggest that’s evident by how Dowdle looks at Steelers training camp.
“A lot of talk about how violent of a runner he is,” Kaboly added on Dowdle. “He’s quicker than I thought he was.”
Last season with the Carolina Panthers, Dowdle posted 1,076 rushing yards with six touchdowns in 17 games. He had nearly the same amount of yardage — 1,079 rushing yards in 16 contests — with the Dallas Cowboys during 2024.
The running back had the same amount of receptions each season too. But last season, he had 48 additional receiving yards.
Projecting Warren’s Role With 2026 Steelers Offense
GettyPittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren led the team in rushing last season.
Warren receiving less opportunities than last season sounds bad, but it might actually be a good thing. Warren was an extremely efficient running back in 2023, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He also had 61 receptions that season.
Kenny Gainwell was terrific as a pass-catching back for the Steelers last season, but he left in free agency. If Dowdle is set to be the offense’s RB1, then Warren could settle into a change-of-pace and pass-catching role.
Even if he doesn’t start, Warren could also still play a lot. He actually received more snaps in 2023 with zero starts than he did last season with 15 starts.
The competition for RB1 is also far from completed. And not everyone appears to see Dowdle as holding the clear edge on the job.
On Thursday, DK Pittsburgh Sports presented the running back repetitions as more split than how Adamski and Kaboly characterized it.
Warren led the Steelers with 1,291 yards from scrimmage last season. He should be plenty involved in the team’s offense this fall.
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