CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rico Dowdle remembers a time early in his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys when owner Jerry Jones didn’t seem to remember his name.
That won’t be a problem next Sunday when the Cowboys come to Bank of America Stadium on the heels of Dowdle rushing for a career-high 206 yards to help the Carolina Panthers overcome a 17-0 deficit for a 27-24 victory against the Miami Dolphins.
“They got to buckle up,” Dowdle said of the Cowboys after Sunday’s comeback. “I think they know for sure. They didn’t keep me there for five years for no reason.”
Dowdle, 27, wanted to remain with Dallas (2-2-1) after rushing for a career-high 1,079 yards in 2024, but the two sides couldn’t come together financially.
So, the 2020 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Panthers (2-3) to back up Chuba Hubbard with incentives that could bring the value to about $6 million.
Until Sunday, he was just a role player this season, rushing for 83 yards on 28 carries.
But with Hubbard sidelined with a calf injury, Dowdle got the call. He made the most of it, tying Jonathan Stewart (2009) for the second-most yards in a game in team history. Were it not for late-game calf cramps that had Dowdle drinking pickle juice and anything else he could to get back on the field, he believes DeAngelo Williams’ record of 210 yards in 2012 would have fallen.
“If I didn’t leave with cramps, I definitely would have gotten it,” Dowdle said.
That Dowdle was facing one of the league’s worst run defenses — the Dolphins were allowing 158 yards a game — helped. That coach Dave Canales didn’t give up on the running game as coaches often do down 17-0 didn’t hurt, either.
But Dowdle helped his own cause with effort. He had 100 yards after contact, also a career high. His 53-yard run in the third quarter with Carolina trailing 17-10 was the team’s longest play from scrimmage this season.
He had a 43-yard effort in the fourth quarter to set up his 1-yard touchdown run that gave Carolina its first lead, 20-17, with 6:10 remaining.
That’s when the cramps became an issue, forcing Canales to turn to rookie Trevor Etienne, who had four carries for 22 yards.
But Dowdle stole the show on a day when quarterback Bryce Young bounced back from two early turnovers that put Carolina in a hole and the Panthers overcame a 17-point deficit for only the fourth time in 117 tries.
“It’s the attitude he ran with, the violence that he ran with, finishing through arm tackles, something that we’ve been challenging our guys on,” Canales said. “When we get to that second level, have a plan for how you finish.
“I saw a great finish today out of Rico.”
The Cowboys knew they had something good in Dowdle, but with money a factor they turned to 2021 second-round pick Javonte Williams, a free agent after four seasons with the Denver Broncos.
Both Williams and Dowdle will enter Sunday’s game on a roll. Williams had 135 yards rushing and a touchdown in Sunday’s 37-22 victory against the New York Jets.
Williams’ role seems secure. Dowdle’s will depend on the health of Hubbard, whose injury was called day-to-day by Canales on Friday. It could be more of a shared effort if Hubbard is cleared.
Still, Dowdle said Dallas better be prepared for him.
“They know I’m a violent runner,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting to the second level on them. They’ve just got to buckle up.”