Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Roschon Johnson

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.

Monday, September 8, 7:18 PM

Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson (foot) has been ruled out for the Monday night contest against the division-rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 1. Johnson was able to get in a limited practice on Saturday after being listed as a DNP on Thursday and Friday, but it was not enough for the Bears to clear him to play in the season opener. He has been dealing with a foot injury since early August and could be in danger of missing Week 2 against the division-rival Detroit Lions as well. With the 24-year-old sidelined on Monday, rookie seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai is expected to work as D'Andre Swift's backup, although it probably won't amount to a ton of action in his first regular-season NFL game. If Johnson continues to miss time and Monangai impresses, it's not out of the question that Monangai could leapfrog Johnson on the RB depth chart.