Undrafted Never Leaves Mindset: Steelers Rico Dowdle
Bo Marchionte
Host · Writer
Thunder Doesn’t Need Lightning
Latrobe, PA – NFL teams love calling their backfields Thunder and Lightning.
The Steelers skipped that part.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle run angry. They bounce off safeties, finish through contact and seem to treat four-yard gains like personal insults. Neither was drafted. Neither was promised anything. Both had to convince coaches they belonged before they ever convinced fans.
That’s probably why they fit together.
Dowdle knows exactly what it feels like to spend draft weekend waiting for a phone call that never comes. Sixteen running backs were selected in 2020. His name wasn’t one of them.
Two years later it was Warren’s turn. Twenty-two backs came off the board before the Steelers signed him minutes after the draft ended.
Different years.
Same lesson.
Physical Duo in Pittsburgh
Nobody was handing out jobs.
Now they’re sharing a backfield that has a chance to become one of the NFL’s most physical.
Warren already forced his way past former first-round pick Najee Harris, gradually taking snaps until Pittsburgh allowed Harris to leave in free agency. Dowdle arrives after proving in Dallas that patience eventually pays off if the talent is real.
“Oh yeah, for sure," Dowdle said of carrying a chip on his shoulder. “I feel like I’ve got a point to prove every time I’m out on the field."
He never questioned whether he’d succeed.
“I always thought I could have success. It was just a matter of waiting my turn, getting the opportunity and making the most of it."
There’s another layer here.
Mike McCarthy already knows exactly what Dowdle is capable of after coaching him in Dallas. The terminology isn’t foreign. The expectations aren’t new.
“A lot of stuff was carryover from when I was back with him in Dallas… now it’s just putting it together with the new guys."
Sometimes the NFL gets obsessed with pedigree.
Sometimes two undrafted runners show up, lower their pads and remind everyone the draft only decides where your career starts.
It doesn’t decide where it finishes.
Rico Dowdle 2025 Rushing Statistics
- Games: 17
- Attempts: 236
- Rushing Yards: 1,076
- Yards Per Carry: 4.6
- Touchdowns: 6
Jaylen Warren 2025 Rushing Statistics
- Games: 16
- Attempts: 211
- Rushing Yards: 958
- Yards Per Carry: 4.5
- Touchdowns: 6
