As the NFL gears up for free agency, few teams are expected to be as busy as the Washington Commanders.
Adam Peters' team has a projected $87.6 million in salary cap space and more players with expiring contracts than any other NFL team. The Commanders have glaring needs to fill at safety, defensive end, center, and wide receiver. They could use help elsewhere, too.
One position of intrigue is running back.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be part of Washington's future after a surprise rookie season as a seventh-round pick, but the Commanders can be expected to operate by committee. They've been touted as a potential landing spot for Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III, but it's another free agent who suddenly seems like a real possibility.
Jeremy Fowler is hearing whispers about the Commanders' interest in Rico Dowdle
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Rico Dowdle could be on the move to Washington. The Commanders' interest in him has been reported by multiple league sources.
Dowdle played last season with the Carolina Panthers after spending his first five campaigns with the Dallas Cowboys, though he missed all of 2021 due to a hip injury. The former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons. Now, he wants to be paid accordingly.
He is a physical power back who would trade handoffs with the shifty Croskey-Merritt, and Dowdle can also catch out of the backfield. He would likely be a replacement for Chris Rodriguez Jr., who had a breakout year with 500 rushing yards in 2025 but is set to test the market.
Dowdle's market value is expected to be about $6.5 million per year, more than any free agent running back aside from Walker and Travis Etienne. Still, that's easily affordable for the Commanders, who would be adding another player with experience being in the same building as head coach Dan Quinn.
This is certainly a move the Commanders should consider. For as impressive as Rodriguez was last year, Washington can aim higher. Dowdle, despite entering his seventh NFL season, does not have much mileage. He only became a regular contributor in 2023 and has amassed 567 career carries.
His regression down the stretch and into the playoffs for Carolina is concerning, but Dowdle is a momentum back who thrives on volume. If the Commanders take the plunge, he'd get precisely that within David Blough's offensive scheme.
The Commanders will need a strong backfield presence to lighten Jayden Daniels' load this offseason. A one-two punch of Dowdle and Croskey-Merritt would accomplish that in the ideal world, and Peters should do everything in his power to make it happen.