The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have a new-look offense in 2026, and that can be said in more ways than one. The offensive system is going to be different due to new head coach Mike McCarthy coming into the fold. He has already announced that he will be calling the plays for the offense, which is something that Steelers fans have not seen from their head coach. However, it is quite common across the NFL. There is also going to be a good amount of new players on the offensive side of the ball, including wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard, as well as running back Rico Dowdle.
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Steelers quarterback Will Howard hands the football off to running back Rico Dowdle during the voluntary veteran offseason workouts.
Jaylen Warren has been the one constant in the running back room over the last three seasons. He spent three years behind Najee Harris, and then it finally seemed like he might become the clear-cut lead back in 2025, but Kenneth Gainwell performed extremely well and it turned into more of a 50/50 split between the two backs. Gainwell signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in free agency, and the Steelers replaced him with a 1,000-yard rusher in Dowdle. Dowdle has had a ton of success over the last two years, and now he is in Pittsburgh with Warren.
There has been some talk about what that split might look like at running back, and beat writer Gerry Dulac provided some insight on the matter during an appearance on 102.5 WDVE on Tuesday morning.
"You know, if this were Mike Tomlin, it would be Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, 1A and 1B," Dulac said. "Because it's Mike McCarthy, and he had Rico Dowdle in Dallas, he's not beholden to Jaylen Warren because he was the guy that's been the starter. I'll be curious to see how it plays out as well, I think they have two really good running backs. It's probably a step up from last year. Rico Dowdle's a two-time 1,000-yard rusher, I think it's a nice upgrade to that position. I don't know how it's going to play out in terms of who is [1A and 1B]. I know based on the past, it's going to be Jaylen Warren, but Mike McCarthy's alliance to Dowdle could lead to him being the first team back."
Tomlin loved Warren, but McCarthy has no allegiance to the former undrafted running back. However, he did coach Dowdle for years when the two were with the Dallas Cowboys.
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Steelers' Rico Dowdle running with the football when he played for the Panthers in 2025.
The split between the two running backs will hopefully end up being close to 50/50, but there is also a chance that Dowdle is the clear lead back due to his time already playing for McCarthy. He played for four seasons under McCarthy in Dallas, and he had over 1,000 yards in 2024 with the Cowboys.
Warren is hard to keep off of the field. He does a good job of everything that you want from a running back. He is a threat catching passes out of the backfield, is hard to bring down, and he is one of the best running backs in the NFL when it comes to pass protection.
Steelers' Running Back Situation Will Be Monitored Throughout The Season
The split between the two backs is going to be watched closely by some fans. However, the Steelers are a team that typically likes to run the football a ton. That means it is great to have two starting-caliber running backs that can make a play at any given time.
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Steelers running backs Jaylen Warren and Kaleb Johnson stand side by side one another during a training camp practice in Latrobe, PA.
Throw in a potential breakout year for second-year running back Kaleb Johnson, and the Steelers could have one of the more fun rushing attacks in the NFL. That will only help Aaron Rodgers, especially when it comes to opening up the play-action passing game.
What do you think about this assessment from Dulac? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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