The Dallas Cowboys had a lot of change this offseason, that started on the coaching staff. Brian Schottenheimer was named the next head coach of the Cowboys.
That wasn't the move fans were expecting but that's the cards they were dealt. Aside from movement on the roster, multiple players left the Cowboys in free agency.
RB Rico Dowdle is someone who inked a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. After spending the first four years of his career with Dallas, Dowdle believed it was time to head in a different direction.
Landing with the Panthers is an interesting choice, considering Chubba Hubbard is the No. 1 tailback in Carolina. Just last season for the Panthers, Hubbard had 1,195 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. That led to him landing a four-year, $33.2 million extension.
He's slated to be the main workhorse in the backfield and Dowdle will be his No. 2. The South Carolina product was the starting running back for Dallas in 2024 for the first time and took advantage of his extended reps. Dowdle posted career-highs in carries (235) and rushing yards (1,079) with two rushing touchdowns.
The Cowboys ended up signing Javonte Williams to a one-year, $3 million deal, which is awfully similar to what Dowdle got with the Panthers.
While there's a good chance Dallas will add another running back via the NFL Draft, Dowdle could have opened up the season as the top RB on the depth chart. He already showed he could be productive in Schottenheimer's system. But instead, he left town and joined a running back committee on one of the worst teams in the league.
To make matters worse, he didn't even land a lucrative deal with the Panthers. He should have re-signed with the Cowboys to build off his solid season but instead signed with a rebuilding team. And that could be a decision he ends up regretting.