Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Jonathon Brooks

Saturday, August 9, 4:08 PM

Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle showed a glimpse of his potential as a pass-catching threat in the team's preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns, recording one reception for 20 yards to go along with two rushes for seven yards. The 27-year-old running back is entering his sixth season in the NFL after spending his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys, which was riddled with injuries. Dowdle is clearly behind Chuba Hubbard on the depth chart, but could carve out a role in the Panthers' receiving or two-minute offense in 2025. Coming off an underwhelming 2024 season in Dallas, where high hopes for the lead back role didn't materialize (235-1,079-2 on the ground, 39-249-3 in the air), a move to a new location and a backup role could take some pressure off Dowdle and allow him to grow into his potential. Rotoballer currently projects him as RB55, but Dowdle could be a sneaky stash if anything happens to Hubbard throughout the season.

Thursday, May 8, 1:14 PM

The Carolina Panthers placed running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) on the Physically Unable to Perform list on Thursday, meaning he will not play at all in the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Brooks tore his right ACL in Week 14 of his rookie season in 2024, his second ACL tear in as many years. The 21-year-old didn't make his NFL debut until Week 12 last year and played in just three games before unfortunately suffering another ACL tear. In his three games with Carolina, the second-rounder (46th overall) out of Texas had nine carries for 22 yards and caught all three of his targets for 23 yards. It's been a tough last couple of years for Brooks, who probably will never be the same runner he was before tearing his right ACL twice. The Panthers will move forward with Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle and rookie Trevor Etienne as their RBs in 2025.