The NFL offseason is not loud like Sundays in September. It’s quieter. Calculated. A little hopeful. A little ruthless. Front offices sit in softly lit war rooms, convincing themselves that one bold move could change everything.
For the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, that change might involve the same position but very different endings. Rico Dowdle has implied that he hasn’t closed the door on Dallas. At the same time, PFSN projects that Carolina could be eyeing a change of its own.
PFSN Predicts Panthers Could Sign a 31-TD RB in Free Agency
Carolina did not look like a finished product in 2025. But they looked like something. Behind Bryce Young’s steady growth, the Panthers built an offense that could lean on its ground game and mean it.
The Dowdle-Chuba Hubbard tandem was effective, helping push the Los Angeles Rams to the edge in the Wild Card round. However, stability in the NFL is often temporary.
Dowdle will go into free agency after another 1,000-yard season, 1,076 rushing yards on 236 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt, plus six rushing touchdowns. He added 39 receptions for 297 yards and a receiving score, doing everything asked of him.
But late in the season, the usage shifted. Over Carolina’s final two games, Dowdle saw only 15 touches. For a back who has previously said he wants featured responsibilities, that kind of tapering might not have sat well.
This is where Kenneth Walker III comes into the story. Walker is not just another name on the market. He’s coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance with Seattle and owns 31 career touchdowns (rushing plus receiving). He has a 2025 PFSN RBi score of 65.8.
Carolina makes sense as a landing spot.
Hubbard was dependable, but not necessarily game-tilting. Walker would give the Panthers something different: a back defense that they have to account for before the snap. Pair him with a maturing Bryce Young, and suddenly Carolina is dangerous.
And if Walker steps in as the lead back, that likely means Dowdle steps out.
Which brings us back to Dallas. Dowdle did not sound sentimental when he spoke about a possible reunion with the Cowboys; he was just honest. He said he would “definitely consider” returning. Dallas signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2020. They stood by him through a season-ending hip injury in 2021. They brought him back on consecutive one-year deals before he broke out in 2024 with 1,079 rushing yards and 39 receptions.
He knows the building. The system. The expectations.
And he reminded Dallas exactly who he is last season, posting 239 yards (rushing plus receiving) in Carolina’s 30-27 over the Cowboys.
