RB · PIT · 27 yrs · exp 4 · Oklahoma State
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Latest: Jul 24, 2026 · 3,276
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This article ranks the top 10 running back duos in the NFL for the 2026 season, considering individual stardom, balanced backfields, and recent production against projections. It also includes honorable mentions and discusses specific player pairings and their potential impact
DK Metcalf, Jaylen Warren, Michael Pittman Jr., and Rico Dowdle join Aaron Rodgers on his retirement tour this season
The Steelers are projecting their 2026 53-man roster, with Will Howard seemingly set to be QB2 behind Aaron Rodgers, potentially leading to a trade of Mason Rudolph. The running back room will likely feature Dowdle and Warren as the top two, with Travis Homer securing a spot due to special teams ability. At wide receiver, Metcalf, Pittman, Bernard, Skowronek, and Wetjen are considered safe, with competition for the WR4 spot between Roman Wilson and Noah Brown, and Curtis Samuel also a possibility
The Pittsburgh Steelers made several notable upgrades to their offense. At the beginning of the offseason, they traded for wide receiver Michael Pittman and signed running back Rico Dowdle . In the 2026 NFL Draft, they added wide receiver Germie Bernard after trading up for him. Despite the additions, there are those who remain skeptical about Pittsburgh. One of those skeptics is Bill Barnwell of ESPN, who ranks Pittsburgh’s group of skill position players as the No. 21 unit in the NFL. “Another offseason brought another trade for an expensive wide receiver by an organization that had developed a reputation for finding its own in the middle rounds of the draft,” Barnwell writes . “Michael Pittman Jr. is a good fit for what Aaron Rodgers wants to do (get the ball out quickly for short completions) but a bad fit for what the Steelers need (a wide receiver who can stretch teams downfield). Second-round pick Germie Bernard should be an upgrade on Calvin Austin III , and it’s fair to pin the problems creating big plays on the quarterback and his desire to stay clean, but the Steelers need to find a way to create explosive plays in 2026.” Barnwell adds that the inconsistency of DK Metcalf is a large reason why the Steelers are so low on the list. “[Metcalf] had games when that seemed possible in 2025, but it was a boom-or-bust season,” Barnwell writes. “He had four games with 85 receiving yards or more, and he didn’t top 55 yards in any of his other 12 contests.” Barnwell acknowledges that there are good players in the offense, but the Steelers need Metcalf to become the Pro Bowl talent he was early on in his career. “There are fun players around the receivers,” Barnwell writes. “ Jaylen Warren has been able to handle almost exactly half of a running back rotation reasonably well. Rico Dowdle was prime Marshawn Lynch for a couple of weeks last season. Darnell Washington is one of the least fun players to tackle on the planet. Pat Freiermuth can go missing for stretches, but he’s also still capable enough to produce big games, like the 111-yard, two-score performance he put together in the shootout against the Bengals last season. There are no bad players here, but they could really use a vintage season from Metcalf.” The aforementioned additions should open things up for Metcalf, rather than allow defenses to make him their sole focus. Should Pittman, Bernard, and the run game all prove to be the high-quality additions many believe them to be, Pittsburgh’s offense very well could surprise many in 2026. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! NFL analyst tabs Steelers’ Mike McCarthy as NFL Coach of the Year candidate C.J. Stroud emerges as Steelers 2027 QB option Steelers sign versatile defensive back to one-year deal Steelers named landing spot for All-Pro WR Stefon Diggs Steelers unable to draft QB Brendan Sorsby, per NFL ruling
This article explores how to leverage Average Draft Position (ADP) data from best ball platforms like Underdog to find value in dynasty startup drafts. It highlights players whose best ball ADP significantly outpaces their dynasty ADP, suggesting they are undervalued in dynasty formats. Four specific players are identified as targets, with the analysis focusing on their potential to outperform their current dynasty valuation
AFC North teams' running back positional rankings for the 2026 season
Kaleb Johnson's roster spot is uncertain due to the additions of Rico Dowdle, Travis Homer, and Eli Heidenreich
The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their second week of OTAs on Friday, and their rookie class continues to impress. Wide receiver Germie Bernard has been a hot topic of conversation with how strong he’s looked over the first two weeks of team activities, and now it’s quarterback Drew Allar’s turn. The third-round pick out of Penn State made strides in the second week of organized team activities, and Noah Strackbein of All Steelers named the young signal-caller as one of his winners of the week. “The rookie quarterback took a noticable step forward in terms of his comfort level working individual drills and with his new wide receiver core,” Strackbein writes . “That included two very nice passes where he put the ball right on the money to DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard, with coverage, about 30 yards deep. There’s a long way to go before Allar is a franchise quarterback, but from Week 1 to Week 2, he got notably better. That’s quick progress, and if the Mike McCarthy quarterback school is actually going to work, Allar is the perfect project to make it work on.” All the Steelers can hope for is that Allar continues to take noticeable strides in his development. Should he do that, he could put himself in a good position in a year’s time in a potential quarterback battle to be the Week 1 starter in 2027. The Steelers will hold mandatory minicamp next week, and will have one more set of OTAs from June 8-12. They’ll then have a six-week break before reporting to Latrobe for training camp on July 28. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Another former Steelers WR attempting NFL comeback Micah Parsons recruiting Mike Tomlin to Packers Steelers RB Rico Dowdle excited for ‘thunder and lightning’ duo with Jaylen Warren Steelers LB Patrick Queen responds to trade rumors, contract talk Ben Roethlisberger has serious doubts about Drew Allar
Diontae Johnson, a former Steelers wide receiver, is attempting an NFL comeback, posting a video of his training. Johnson has had a tumultuous career since leaving Pittsburgh, playing for multiple teams including the Panthers, Ravens, Texans, and Browns, and was most recently released by the Browns in the preseason of 2025
Rico Dowdle acknowledges the competition for touches in the Steelers' backfield but states his intention to focus on his own performance. He will be competing with Jaylen Warren for playing time. Dowdle's prior success under Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy could be a factor
Rico Dowdle emerged as the lead back with the Panthers during the 2025 season and posted his second straight 1,000-yard season, but he won't be back in Carolina for the 2026 campaign. Dowdle moved on to the Steelers as a free agent, which means that he also didn't secure a clear path to the No. 1 running back job. Jaylen Warren is back for his fifth season in Pittsburgh and one of the offseason tasks in Pittsburgh is sorting out how they are going to divvy up the playing time in the backfield. Dowdle said his approach to any competition will have an inward focus. “We got two guys who can go out there and do the job at a high level ,” Dowdle said, via Will Graves of the Associated Press. “The coaches will decide how that goes. And I just come out here and put my best foot forward each day and let the rest take care of itself.” While Warren is the incumbent in Pittsburgh, Dowdle may have one thing working in his favor. His first 1,000-yard season came with the Cowboys in 2024 while playing for Mike McCarthy, who is now the head coach for the Steelers
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was seen at Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals in San Antonio between the Spurs and Thunder, amongst several other athletes and respective celebrities. Of those athletes that attended San Antonio’s 118-91 win was Green Bay Packers All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was seen dapping up Tomlin and conversing with the former Steelers head coach by Yahoo! Sports . While talking, Parsons made a pitch to Tomlin. “We’ve got a spot for you,” Parsons said. “Just keep coming north.” While this was said in a tongue-in-cheek manner, Tomlin is one of the more popular coaches in league circles, especially to players. However, it’s as close to a certainty as one could get that he wouldn’t take a job with a team unless it was as the head coach. Additionally, the Packers and Matt LaFleur reached an agreement on an extension back in January, so don’t expect to see Tomlin in Green Bay in 2027. Parsons and the Packers will visit the Steelers to kickoff the preseason on August 13th. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers RB Rico Dowdle excited for ‘thunder and lightning’ duo with Jaylen Warren Steelers LB Patrick Queen responds to trade rumors, contract talk Ben Roethlisberger has serious doubts about Drew Allar Steelers QB coach raves about Will Howard’s performance in OTAs Steelers have big plans for Jalen Ramsey
The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team in the NFL with two running backs who topped 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2025. Jaylen Warren finished last season with 1,291 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. After letting 2025 team MVP Kenneth Gainwell walk in free agency and seeing him land with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , Pittsburgh reunited head coach Mike McCarthy with Rico Dowdle, who is coming off his second consecutive 1,000-yard season and had 1,373 total yards with seven total touchdowns. Combining their talents gives Pittsburgh one of the more dangerous duos in the NFL, something that Dowdle is very excited to be part of. “[We’re] thunder and lightning,” Dowdle said via Chris Adamski . “You got two guys who have been productive in this league. It’s always good to have two guys that can go out there and get the job done at a high level.” Dowdle signed a two-year deal with the Steelers worth $12.25 million in March and joins an offense that also added Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard to go along with Warren, DK Metcalf , Pat Freiermuth , and Darnell Washington as a unit that hopes to take a leap forward in 2026. Let us know what you think in the comments . Be sure to bookmark Behind the Steel Curtain for all the latest news, breakdowns, and more! Steelers LB Patrick Queen responds to trade rumors, contract talk Ben Roethlisberger has serious doubts about Drew Allar Steelers QB coach raves about Will Howard’s performance in OTAs Steelers have big plans for Jalen Ramsey Former Steelers WR reveals why he left Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers is officially back with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After months of consternation about his future, in the end, all it took was a report that the Steelers were growing weary of Rodgers “will he, won’t he” routine for him to come to the party, sign his one-year deal, and cement that he’s playing in 2026. Funny how that works. This puts the whole Rodgers mess to bed, at least for another season. Now the Steelers can move ahead with some sort of certainty at the quarterback position after staring down the gun of potentially needing to start Mason Rudolph , Will Howard , or rookie Drew Allar — functionally ending the team’s season before it begins. The question now pivots to what is the ceiling of this team with Rodgers at the helm, and could this end up being a massive mistake? The question of whether or not this is the correct move is couched wholly in one incontrovertible fact: Every NFL team needs to rebuild eventually. It’s a reality the Steelers have been staving off since Ben Roethlisberger ’s retirement following the 2021 season, and to their credit, the organization has been competitive — but there’s also been a ceiling when it comes to quarterback. Whether it was Kenny Pickett , Russell Wilson , Justin Fields , or Aaron Rodgers, the team has been a consistent playoff team, but that’s where the success ends. The Steelers have been bounced in the Wild Card round during their last five playoff appearances, and you need to go back to 2017 to find the last time Pittsburgh made it out of the opening round. With the addition of Michael Pittman Jr. there’s no question this is the best receiving corps the team has had in years, and with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle the team has a fascinating one-two punch at running back for this upcoming season. Now it’s time to talk brass tacks: Is this new-look Steelers team demonstrably better for bringing back Aaron Rodgers, and what is their ceiling? By Mark Schofield After months of speculation, the Pittsburgh Steelers have their quarterback for the 2026 season. Aaron Rodgers ended that speculation, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Steelers over this past weekend. Rodgers is already back at work, having been spotted inside the facility as the team opens OTAs this Monday morning. But how much does Rodgers move the needle for the Steelers at this point in his career? Based on last season, probably not much. While Rodgers represented arguably the best option for the Steelers at the most important position in the game, that is also a relative concept. After all, beyond Rodgers the Steelers were looking at second-year quarterback Will Howard, rookie Drew Allar, or longtime backup Mason Rudolph. Given that, Rodgers is the best option. But this is still a quarterback that posted an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 6.3 last year – ranking him 18th among qualified quarterbacks in the NFL – with a QBR of 44.4, which ranked him 27th in the league. When you look at Quarterback Efficiency , a metric that compares both Expected Points Added per Pass and Completion Percentage over Expectation, you see the rest of the picture. Here is that chart, courtesy of RBSDM.com : Last year Rodgers was, at best, a league-average quarterback. How much does a league-average quarterback, one year older, move the needle for the Steelers? Probably not much, in a crowded AFC field and in particular a difficult AFC North, with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals expected to be tough opponents this year, and the Cleveland Browns coming off a very impressive offseason. What could be a saving grace for the Steelers is that the AFC North is paired with the NFC South this year for non-conference games, which could help their record a bit. But one particular stretch of their schedule stands out: A run following their bye week, which sees Pittsburgh play at Cincinnati, at Philadelphia , against Denver on a short week, against Houston, at Jacksonville , and against Baltimore. Those six [... truncated ...]
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Kaleb Johnson was seen lining up in the backfield with the first team offense during an OTA team period on Monday, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. A third-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Johnson recorded just 78 scrimmage yards on 29 touches across 10 games as a rookie. Johnson enters 2026 as the RB3 in Pittsburgh behind veteran backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. However, he'll have the benefit of a fresh start with a new coaching staff in Pittsburgh and could have a chance to work his way into a larger role. While fantasy managers should not overreact to a team session in May, Johnson's training camp progress could be worth monitoring over the summer months
Undrafted free agents have played a big part in Pittsburgh Steelers history, from all-time greats such as Donnie Shell and James Harrison , to “Fast” Willie Parker , the record holder for the Super Bowl’s longest rushing touchdown, and even today with the team’s one-two punch of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle at running back. With that in mind, we at Read & React wanted to break down what to expect from the team’s 2026 UDFA class with OTAs just around the corner. With the team making 10 picks in the draft, it was a smaller group of UDFAs than usual, but a few have slightly better roster chances than you might expect. Let’s dive in: RP: Of all the UDFAs the Steelers brought in, McRee is the player with the best shot at making the roster. BTSC readers that I’ve talked to during the draft process might recall that McRee was a player I liked as a potential pick-up for the Steelers. But those who followed my Draft Gems series might also recall that he didn’t make my list for tight ends — unlike Steelers draft pick Riley Nowakowski. That’s because I believe there are essentially two main tight end archetypes: pass catchers and blockers. I was focused on blockers with the Steelers top two spots on the depth chart locked in. Those players, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington , represent my archetypes to a tee. Freiermuth, the pass catcher, is a more fluid mover with better hands, but he lacks high-end technique and power as a blocker. Washington, meanwhile, is a mountain of a man who is among the best blocking tight ends in the league, but he’s a clunkier runner than Freiermuth and has yet to have more than 364 yards or one touchdown in a single season. McRee falls more into the Freiermuth end of the spectrum. McRee likely went undrafted due to a combination of injury history, size, and lack of explosive athleticism. At 6’4 and 243 pounds, McRee is on the small end for a tight end. However, he is bigger than the recently signed Jaheim Bell (6’2, 241 pounds), his main competition for the third tight end spot, and he has a longer wingspan than Freiermuth, so his size isn’t unheard of in the NFL. McRee also didn’t test as a particularly explosive athlete with a 4.79-second forty time and pedestrian scores in his vertical (29th percentile) and broad jump (22nd percentile). The real kicker, though, was most likely his history of knee problems, which include: Torn ACL in high school (2019) A torn ACL in his third year in college (2023) A knee injury that cost him four games (2024) Nagging injuries that shut down his spring practices early (2025) But with all that baggage acknowledged, he was a security blanket for Trojan’s quarterback Jayden Maiava in 2025 when defenses took away star receiver Makai Lemon. McRee set career highs in receptions (30), yards (445), and four touchdowns, with 21 of his receptions (70%) converting first downs. What I think first stood out to me about McRee is that he is incredibly tough over the middle and through contact at the catch point. When you see a guy take a hit and hold onto the ball, it sticks with you, and McRee has that on his tape on a few occasions. McRee isn’t the most polished route runner, but he operates in vertical concepts with a baseline level of competency. He isn’t beating most in a foot race, nor does he have silky moves and footwork to beat man coverage with regularity, but when attacking the seams, McRee can run to the soft spot in the zone (first clip), and he can get to his spot and win when given favorable leverage from the defender (second clip). In the third clip above, McRee does a small inside fake before breaking on the corner route to attack the defense’s zone coverage. He benefits from the scheme stressing the defense with both a vertical threat over the top of his route, as well as a shallow route from the running back preventing the outside linebacker from sinking too deep with his zone, but McRee makes a nice catch along the sideline to pay it off. McRee has al [... truncated ...]
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jaylen Warren has spent his entire career in some form of timeshare. From 2022 to 2024, he shared a room with Najee Harris and found fantasy relevance through his work as a pass catcher, making a career-high 61 grabs in 2023 on his way to an RB25 finish. In 2025, many expected him to split time with rookie Kaleb Johnson, but it was actually free agent signing Kenneth Gainwell that ate into his workload, most notably as a receiver, with Warren's 42 targets the lowest since his rookie season. With Gainwell now off to Tampa Bay, Warren finds himself in yet another new committee, this time with former Cowboys and Panthers runner Rico Dowdle. While Dowdle is a well-rounded back, he possesses neither the tank-like frame to grind out the 270+ carries of a prime Harris nor the receiving chops to approach Gainwell's 73 receptions from 2025, leaving margins for Warren to again hold a prominent, fantasy-relevant role. Since Dowdle's signing, Warren has fallen to low-end RB3 status in consensus dynasty rankings, but with a clear path to reestablish himself as the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield, he should be more than capable of matching or exceeding his RB26 finish from 2025. At 27 years old, Warren represents the type of depth piece that a contending manager might lean on for notable swaths of the season
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