The Dallas Cowboys continue to lose key pieces to free agency. Somebody ought to knock on Jerry Jones' door. See if he's awake.
Last season was an unmitigated disaster on every front for Dallas. The football front. The PR front. It was a mess. Jerry did his thing all offseason, meaning he waxed poetic about the challenges of paying his stars and used it as an excuse to bleed the roster dry of talent around his stars. Then Dak Prescott got hurt, and the entire campaign went to... well, you know what.
It's easy enough to chalk up their disappointing seven-win season to the Prescott injury, but we shouldn't let Jones off the hook. Dallas, a team that has traditionally won in the trenches, all of a sudden couldn't run the ball. The decision to sign Ezekiel Elliott instead of Saquon Barkley, or Derrick Henry, or Josh Jacobs, or Aaron Jones — all of whom were available at modest prices — will live in infamy.
If there was a bright spot, it was Rico Dowdle. He broke through the RB vacuum to put up 1,328 yards and five touchdowns from scrimmage, averaging a healthy 4.6 yards per carry. In many ways, he helped paper over Jerry's rampant mismanagement of resources.
Well, now Dowdle is out the door. Welcome to Dallas, Ashton Jeanty?
Dowdle, a 26-year-old native of Ashville, North Carolina, has inked a one-year contract worth up to $6.25 million with the Carolina Panthers, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Panthers now have announced they reached a one-year agreement with former Cowboys RB Rico Dowdle, who is from Asheville and attended the University of South Carolina. Dowdle had a breakout year with the Cowboys last season, rushing for 1,079 yards and two touchdowns. pic.twitter.com/umacIhenCd
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2025
Panthers add Rico Dowdle to loaded backfield and leave Cowboys offense in shambles
This is a great value signing for Carolina. Running backs are so back, baby. Saquon Barkley has single-handedly revived a dying breed, reminding us of how valuable it can be to win in the trenches and gash defenses up the middle.
Carolina has quietly built one of the NFL's sturdiest offensive lines. Bryce Young is bound to benefit from all the extra support, but the Panthers are also building into a contingency plan, just in case Young does not take the leap fans expect. This Carolina squad is going to run, run, then run some more, and their backfield is more than up to the challenge.
Dowdle now slots between Chubba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks in what is arguably the best top-to-bottom RB room in football. That is three backs with RB1 upside. Last season was an injury slog for Brooks, but he's a second-round pick with immense talent. Hubbard, meanwhile, put up 1,388 yards from scrimmage last season and scored 11 touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
It's an embarrassment of riches. The Panthers need to improve the WR room and get the defense in shape, but Carolina started to win some games over the second half of last season. Dave Canales seems to know what he's doing, and the vibes are ever so slightly shifting in a positive direction in Charlotte. We shouldn't overrate the signing of a backup running back, but man, the Panthers feel like a real lurking threat in a division that's about as strong as wet paper.
Dowdle posted the highest percentage of carries with three-plus yards after contact in the NFL last season (51 percent). Hubbard was fourth (48.4 percent). This Panthers backfield is built different, with a unique capacity to shed tackles and pick up extra yards through sheer force of will. Carolina is going to win a lot of games by inches and feet next season. Book it.
As for Dallas, good luck fielding a better RB in free agency at this point. Ashton Jeanty or Cam Skattebo are exciting draft prospects, but it's oh so Jerry Jones to invest premium draft assets in a position like RB instead of just re-signing his highly productive in-house option for a risk-free bargain.