Rico Dowdle's time with the Carolina Panthers may have run its course after just one season. However, head coach Dave Canales has an ace up his sleeve if, or when, the running back takes his chances elsewhere in free agency.
That, of course, is Jonathon Brooks.
The 2024 second-round pick has endured a torrid run of luck on the injury front in recent years. Brooks came into the Panthers recovering from a torn ACL. He sustained the same injury on the same knee in only his second game back, which caused him to miss the entire 2025 campaign.