Rico Dowdle, who is entering his seventh NFL season, spent the 2025 season with the Carolina Panthers after playing five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Dowdle has appeared in 69 games, starting 26, with 567 carries for 2,540 yards, a 4.5-yard average, and 10 touchdowns. He also has 95 receptions for 690 yards, a 7.3-yard average, and six touchdowns.
The last two seasons he turned in 1,000-yard performances, with 1,076 rushing yards in 2025 and a career-high 1,079 yards in 2024.
In 2025, Dowdle started 11 of 17 games he appeared in for the Panthers, carrying the ball 236 times for 1,076 yards, a 4.6-yard average, while adding a career-high six touchdowns. He also had 39 receptions for 297 yards, a 7.6-yard average, and one receiving touchdown.
In addition, Dowdle returned eight kickoffs for 197 yards, a 24.6-yard average, including a long of 30 yards.
Dowdle had 23 carries for a career-high 206 yards, a nine-yard average, and a one-yard touchdown in a Week five game against the Miami Dolphins. He was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, while adding a career-long run of 53 yards. He finished the game with 234 yards from scrimmage.
He followed that performance with a single-game high 30 carries for 183 yards in Week 6 against Dallas. He also had four receptions for 56 yards, including a career-long 36-yard touchdown catch.
Dowdle had a breakout season in 2024 for the Cowboys, appearing in 16 games, with 15 starts. He carried the ball 235 times for a career-high 1,079 yards, a 4.6-yard average, and two touchdowns. He added 39 receptions for 249 yards, a 6.4-yard average, and a career-high three touchdown receptions.
With his 1,000-yard rushing season in 2024, he became only the 19th undrafted player to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season.
In 2023, he appeared in 16 games and was second on the team with 89 carries for 261 yards, a 4.1-yard average, and two touchdowns. He also had 17 receptions for 144 yards, an 8.5-yard average, and two touchdowns.
He saw limited action in 2021 and 2022, spending the 2021 season on the Reserve/Injured List, and appearing in five games on special teams in 2022 before being placed on the Reserve/Injured List.
Dowdle made the Cowboys 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie free agent, and appeared in 15 games in 2020, mainly on special teams. He had seven carries for 24 yards, a 3.4-yard average, and returned four kickoffs for an average of 38 yards, including a long of 64 yards.
Dowdle played college football at South Carolina where he appeared in 39 games, starting 29. He had 428 carries for 2,167 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 62 passes for 483 yards and three touchdowns.
