Rico Dowdle will not suit up Thursday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers face the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.
Dowdle, listed with a toe injury, was ruled out after failing to practice leading into the game. It will be his second straight absence, leaving Pittsburgh to lean again on veteran back Jaylen Warren.
That was the formula last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Warren handled it like a true workhorse. He was on the field for 90.3 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, racking up 127 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards in the win. He’s in line for another heavy dose of touches against Cleveland.
Dowdle’s absence also comes with a longer-term wrinkle for Pittsburgh. With a long break between Thursday night and the Week 5 meeting with the Indianapolis Colts, there’s a chance he could be back for that one.
For the season, Dowdle has not been able to get much going. He’s averaging 2.5 yards per carry and has totaled 37 yards on 15 rushes.
Warren, meanwhile, has been the more productive piece in this backfield. He’s averaging 5.7 yards per carry and 11.0 yards per reception this season, and his Week 3 eruption against Cincinnati only strengthened the case for another big outing.
In that game, Warren piled up 17 carries for 127 yards and added three catches on four targets for 49 more yards, finishing with 176 yards from scrimmage. He may not duplicate that kind of production Thursday, but 94.5 total yards still looks light in a matchup with a Browns defense that ranks 23rd in the NFL in EPA/Rush.
During the first two weeks, Warren posted 73 and 77 rushing and receiving yards even while sharing work with Dowdle. With the backfield now tilted fully in his direction again, he shapes up as a strong betting target for Week 4.
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