No one had a bigger week in the NFL than Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle. After the team withstood an early storm from the Miami Dolphins, Carolina stuck to its game plan, with Dowdle running through the Dolphins’ defense. While the Dallas Cowboys had a chance to keep him on their roster, they now face the 206-yard running back in Week 6.
Why Are the Cowboys Facing Their Former Running Back?
While hindsight is 20/20, not much can be said about the Cowboys moving on from the 27-year-old running back. Dallas Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones and the rest of the front office were happy with their running back room, featuring Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and Jaydon Blue. Now, they’re stuck preparing for Dowdle, who had 23 carries for 206 yards and a touchdown in Week 5.
Stephen Jones on Cowboys RB room, via @JoeJHoyt:
“We were huge fans of Rico Dowdle, but we made a conscious decision to go for Javonte, even though we had a lot of love for Rico … My hats off to Rico. What a hell of a game he had. He’ll be a handful for us.”
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) October 6, 2025
“We were huge fans of Rico Dowdle, but we made a conscious decision to go for Javonte, even though we had a lot of love for Rico,” Jones said. “My hats off to Rico. What a hell of a game he had. He’ll be a handful for us.”
Ultimately, the move to acquire Williams has been great for the Cowboys. After spending his first four years in Denver, he wasted no time settling in. After rushing for just 513 yards in 17 games in the 2024-25 season, Williams is on pace to obliterate his past few seasons. His 903 rushing yards in his 2021 rookie season remain his career high, but he’s currently on pace for 1,520 this season.
While the Cowboys may not expect Williams to finish with that exact number, reaching it would be the ultimate slap in the face to a Broncos team that moved on from him. Heading into Week 6, Dowdle finds himself in a similar revenge-game situation. If Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard misses another week with an injury, Head Coach Dave Canales has an easy decision. Even if Hubbard returns, avoiding riding the hot hand will be hard.
Following his breakout Week 5 performance, Dowdle sits at No. 16 in PFSN’s RB Impact metric. He received a C+ grade, a mark that Williams has easily surpassed. The Cowboys’ newest running back holds an A- grade and is ranked No. 3 in the league.
Week 6 could be a statement game for Dowdle or the definitive performance this Cowboys defense has been waiting for. All eyes will be on the running back. In what could be one of the sleeper games of the week, the Cowboys and Panthers will face off at 1:00 p.m. EST on FOX.