The Dallas Cowboys made a concerted effort to revamp their running back room after the paltry production from their rushers last season. The team ranked near the bottom in every rushing metric, including finishing bottom three in yards per carry, and dead last in rushing touchdowns. On an individual level, Rico Dowdle was solid as the leader of the RB room, running over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career and averaging a career-best 4.6 yards per attempt. Yet, the Cowboys still wanted to move on from him, as they let him sign with the Carolina Panthers in the offseason.
Dowdle began the season as the RB2 behind Chuba Hubbard. He has 28 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown through four weeks, while adding five catches and 20 yards in the passing game. He hasn't been as effective as he was in Dallas last season, as demonstrated by his 51.0 Pro Football Focus grade that places him 53rd among 56 qualified running backs.
Rico Dowdle in Line for Big Opportunity in Week 5
Yet, the former Cowboy is about to get a big opportunity in Week 5. The Athletic's Joe Person reported that Hubbard has missed two consecutive practices with a calf injury, firmly placing his status for the Panthers' game against the Dolphins in jeopardy. Returning from a calf injury after not practicing all week will be a challenge for Hubbard, which puts Dowdle in line for his first start in Carolina.
Dowdle also has a very favorable matchup against Miami's leaky run defense. They give up the fourth-most yards per carry to opposing rushers, and have the fifth-worst run defense grade on PFF. This perfect bounce-back opportunity doesn't come around too often, and Dowdle has to take full advantage of it to earn a larger role within the offense for the rest of the season.
On the Cowboys' side of things, the running game has drastically improved this season. The additions of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, and a bigger emphasis on running, have elevated the unit, which ranks 12th in the NFL in yards per carry. The Cowboys already have as many rushing TDs this year as they did the entire last season.
Therefore, even if Dowdle makes the most of his expanded role and delivers a dominant game in Week 5, the Cowboys will likely have little regret about letting him walk. Yet, Cowboys fans wish nothing but the best for Dowdle, who will remain a great developmental success story as an undrafted free agent.