Who Should I Start? Rico Dowdle or Zach Charbonnet

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 15, 3:31 PM

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet dominated the Seahawks' running back snaps once again against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2, but he was wildly inefficient on the ground. Charbonnet carried the ball 15 times for just 10 yards. He also failed to earn a target for the second straight week. Meanwhile, Charbonnet's running mate, Kenneth Walker III, turned 13 carries into 108 yards and a touchdown. Walker only played 35% of the snaps, but he collected just one fewer opportunity than Charbonnet. Charbonnet has now turned in two inefficient performances after an offseason of serious hype. He was bailed out by a touchdown in Week 1, but Walker notched the score in Week 2. Charbonnet's outlook moving forward is cloudy. He still played 55% of the snaps on Sunday, but the Seahawks cannot ignore how healthy and effective Walker looked this weekend. This split feels like it will inch towards 50/50 in an effort to keep Walker healthy. However, Charbonnet needs to improve his production to avoid risking a dip even lower than that.