After being limited in practice all week, running back Rico Dowdle will play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7.
Dowdle wasn’t included on the team’s inactive list early Sunday morning. Dowdle will play and provide another backfield option to starter Jaylen Warren.
In Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dowdle ran for 40 yards on seven carries. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry. It was Dowdle’s first game since he suffered a toe injury during Week 2.
With Dowdle active, the Steelers included rookie running back Eli Heidenreich on their inactive list for Week 7. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek, quarterbacks Drew Lock and Will Howard, cornerback Brandin Echols and cornerback Terrel Smith were also on the inactive list.
Howard will serve as the team’s emergency QB3. The Steelers had previously ruled out both Skowronek and Echols for the matchup because of injuries.
Along with Dowdle, safety DeShon Elliott will dress in Week 7. He will make his season debut after spending the first six weeks of the regular season on the injured list.
Elliott last played almost exactly a year ago. He suffered a serious knee injury in Week 8 last season on October 26.
Additionally, defensive back Sean Murphy-Bunting will make his season and Steelers debut. The past two weeks, he was on the team’s inactive list.
Similarly, undrafted rookie defensive lineman Kevin Jobity Jr. was not on the inactive list for the first time. Jobity will make his NFL debut Sunday.
The Steelers will square off against the Saints in the league’s first-ever regular season matchup in Paris, France. Kickoff will occur at 9:30 on the east coast.
Steelers’ Rico Dowdle to Play in Week 7
There never seemed to be a serious worry that Dowdle could miss Week 7. But he was limited throughout the week, and the Steelers canceled Friday’s practice. So, he was the biggest question entering the contest.
With him active, the Steelers will feature the 1-2 combination of Warren and Dowdle again. The pair combined for 127 yards from scrimmage in the 26-19 overtime comeback win against the Buccaneers last Sunday.
Dowdle is off to a slow start this season in part because of the toe injury. He has 77 rushing yards in three games. He’s averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.
Each of the past two seasons, Dowdle has gained more than 1,000 yards rushing.
Perhaps he will get going against the Saints. New Orleans possesses the fifth-worst run defense in terms of yards allowed per carry this season.
DeShon Elliott, Sean Murphy-Bunting to Make Season Debuts
On defense, the Steelers will have a variety of debuts, two of which will happen in the secondary.
Elliott will return and Murphy-Bunting will dress for the first time in Pittsburgh. Along the defensive line, Jobity will provide depth while playing for the first time in the NFL.
Elliott could start alongside fellow veteran safety Jaquan Brisker. But rookie Robert Spears-Jennings might play a lot too at safety. Spears-Jennings has seen his playing time increase the past three weeks, and he has performed well.
At cornerback, Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. or rookie Daylen Everette will likely start. It will be interesting to see how the defense works Murphy-Bunting into the mix.
The Steelers signed Murphy-Bunting off the Buccaneers practice squad on October 5. If he gets on the field Sunday, it will be the eight-year veteran’s first regular season snaps since the 2024 campaign.
Jobity was the only undrafted free agent to make the Steelers roster. He will play for the first time after the team placed veteran defensive lineman Sebastian Joseph-Day on injured reserve.
Steelers Make Final Call on Rico Dowdle for Saints Matchup in Paris