The Steelers didn’t go into 2026 looking for one featured back. They built the room the way they’ve done it in recent seasons: with two running backs who can both handle real volume. This time, the pairing is Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.
Pittsburgh lost reigning team MVP Kenneth Gainwell when he signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, then moved quickly to bring in Dowdle on a two-year, $12.25 million contract. That reunion also puts new head coach Mike McCarthy back with a back he already knows, and it gives the Steelers another runner who should slide right into a major offensive role after posting 1,373 yards from scrimmage for the Carolina Panthers last season.
The big question now is how the workload gets divided.
On paper, these two are closer than you might think. Dowdle averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 2025, just ahead of Warren’s 4.5. Through the air, Warren had 333 receiving yards on 40 catches, while Dowdle finished with 297 yards on 36 receptions.
The difference shows up more in how they get those yards. Warren is the lighter, more slippery option at 5-foot-8, the kind of back who thrives on the edges and in open space. That showed up in a big way last season, when he forced 53 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, a total that ranked eighth in the NFL.
Dowdle can do some of that too, but his game points more toward the interior. He’s the sturdier runner, the one better built for work between the tackles and the kind of back who should see more chances in short-yardage situations and near the goal line.
There should be enough carries to keep both involved, especially with the current uncertainty behind them. Unless Kaleb Johnson takes a leap in his second season, the Steelers don’t have a clear No. 3 option waiting in the wings.
The passing game is where the fit gets even more interesting. Dowdle played 323 pass snaps for Carolina last season, more than Warren’s 257, though Warren’s numbers were affected by Gainwell’s rise.
Dowdle also ran 251 routes to Warren’s 211. Even so, Warren was the more productive receiver, finishing with 333 yards to Dowdle’s 297 and forcing 24 missed tackles on catches.
That’s the cleanest way to frame it: Warren brings the burst and the big-play threat, while Dowdle handles the heavier lifting and looks like the more natural candidate to be the lead grinder if Pittsburgh settles into that kind of split.
In the end, the Steelers are likely heading toward a pretty even distribution of touches. Warren should see more work in the passing game now that Gainwell is gone, and Dowdle may end up taking the lead on the ground.
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