By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers weren’t necessary looking to add a starting-caliber running back in free agency after giving Chuba Hubbard a four-year, $33 million contract extension last November.
They found one anyway.
Coach Dave Canales said he’s been “ecstatic” since the Panthers signed Rico Dowdle in March, giving the team added depth in the backfield with a second 1,000-yard rusher. In so doing, they’ve added a highly motivated player who’s eager to prove that he’s still worthy of being a No. 1 back — and being paid like one — after the Dallas Cowboys opted not to re-sign him.
“I definitely thought I would have had the opportunity to get a shot with the ones this year, but it didn’t come down to that,” Dowdle said of his time on the free-agent market.
Some running back-needy teams opted for the draft to fill their needs rather than sign the 27-year-old Dowdle.
So he chose to bet on himself, agreeing to a one-year, $2.75 million contract with the Panthers that could pay him up to $6 million with performance incentives. Dowdle hopes that if all goes well he can parlay his success into a big contract next spring.
In the meantime, he felt Carolina, with an improving offensive line led by highly paid guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, was the best fit for him. It also afforded him the opportunity to return to the Carolinas where he played high school football in Asheville, North Carolina, and college ball at South Carolina.
“Great to be home,” he said with a smile.
Despite rushing for 1,079 yards and averaging 4.6 yards per carry and catching 39 passes for 249 yards and totaling five TDs in his first year as a starter, the Cowboys didn’t express much interest in re-signing Dowdle despite a late-season surge that included three straight 100-yard rushing games.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones instead drafted Jaydon Blue from Texas in the fifth round and signed veteran free agents Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, who was Hubbard’s backup last season.
“To have two 1,000-yard backs in the same room and guys with experience, guys who can really do it all — can pass protect really well, catch the ball out of the backfield, I mean I was ecstatic,” Canales said. “When we were kind of working through things (in free agency) and it starting looking like we were going to have a chance to get this guy, I couldn’t have been more excited.”
Hubbard remains the starter in Carolina, coming off a career-high 1,195 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns in 2024 — despite sitting out the final two games.
But Canales sees a role for the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Dowdle, although he was sparse on the details.
Dowdle could have to compete for reps with fourth-round draft pick Trevor Etienne from Georgia, who has looked strong and fast in training camp. Carolina selected Texas’ Jonathon Brooks in the second round in 2024, but he’ll miss the entire season after reinjuring his ACL as a rookie.
“He’s exactly what we’re looking for out of our running backs,” Canales said of Dowdle. “Our backs, they run the runs exactly the way they’re supposed to be run — with discipline. And once they get past that first level they run with violence. (Dowdle) does those things.”
Dowdle would love to parlay a big season into a big paycheck.
But for now he said he’s here to help the Panthers win.
He’s in a familiar position, having to prove himself all over — just as he had to do coming into the league as an undrafted rookie in 2020.
“Coming from the position of being undrafted and obviously having to make the roster every, every year, I always feel like I got something to prove,” Dowdle said. “And I will have something to prove until I get to where I wanna go.”
Browns to visit
The Panthers practiced Tuesday in a downpour and more rain is in the forecast for Wednesday’s joint practice with the Cleveland Browns. Despite the weather, Canales said he expects practices to go on as expected with plenty of full-contact drills and live hitting.