Panthers' Dowdle rushes for 206 yards in win, eyes Cowboys next - ESPN

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rico Dowdle remembers a time early in his NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys when owner Jerry Jones didn't seem to remember his name.

That won't be a problem next Sunday when the Cowboys come to Bank of America Stadium on the heels of Dowdle rushing for a career-high 206 yards to help the Carolina Panthers overcome a 17-0 deficit for a 27-24 victory against the Miami Dolphins.

«They got to buckle up,'' Dowdle said of the Cowboys after Sunday's comeback. „I think they know for sure. They didn't keep me there for five years for no reason.''

Dowdle, 27, wanted to remain with Dallas (2-2-1) after rushing for a career-high 1,079 yards in 2024, but the two sides couldn't come together financially.

So, the 2020 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina signed a one-year, $2.75 million deal with the Panthers (2-3) to back up Chuba Hubbard with incentives that could bring the value to about $6 million.

Until Sunday, he was just a role player this season, rushing for 83 yards on 28 carries.

But with Hubbard sidelined with a calf injury, Dowdle got the call. He made the most of it, tying Jonathan Stewart (2009) for the second-most yards in a game in team history. Were it not for late-game calf cramps that had Dowdle drinking pickle juice and anything else he could to get back on the field, he believes DeAngelo Williams' record of 210 yards in 2012 would have fallen.

“If I didn't leave with cramps, I definitely would have gotten it,'' Dowdle said.

That Dowdle was facing one of the league's worst run defenses — the Dolphins were allowing 158 yards a game — helped. That coach Dave Canales didn't give up on the running game as coaches often do down 17-0 didn't hurt, either.

But Dowdle helped his own cause with