Panthers GM Dan Morgan is asked if he thinks RB Rico Dowdle wants out

Will the Carolina Panthers seek out a return for running back Rico Dowdle? Well, it may be too early to tell—at least according to the man who will ultimately make that decision for the organization.

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan wrapped up the team's 2025 campaign with reporters on Tuesday. He was asked if Dowdle's end-of-season drop in production correlated to his upcoming free agency this spring.

Morgan shot down that thought, and said Dowdle's usage had more to do with the flow of the games.

"There's only so many carries to go around, there's only so many drives," he stated. "Him not being as productive on the backend, or just our running backs in general not being as productive on the backend, I think all of that works together.

"I think our offensive line has to be right, our receivers have to be blocking right. So it's not just one guy or one thing. They all have to work together to get the run game going."

A calf injury to initial starter Chuba Hubbard gave way to Dowdle beginning in Week 5, where he rushed for 206 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins. As an encore in Week 6, he amassed 239 scrimmage yards and a score in a 30-27 victory against the Dallas Cowboys.

While Dowdle still finished the year atop the depth chart, his numbers took a hit. Over his final four games, including Saturday's playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he ran for just 107 yards and zero touchdowns on 33 attempts.

Dowdle, when speaking from his locker on Sunday, stated that he'd like to be somewhere where he can get the bulk of the work. That wasn't the case this past weekend, as Hubbard seemingly regained the lead role with 13 carries to Dowdle's five.

Morgan was later asked if he gets the impression that Dowdle wants to move on.

"I met with him, I had a really good conversation with him in my office upstairs," he replied. "He didn't give me any indication of that. I thought we left on a good note. We'll see where it goes from here."

Dowdle notched career-highs in carries (236), rushing touchdowns (six) and receiving yards (297) while finishing as the NFL's 14th-leading rusher (1,076 yards).

Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.

This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers GM Dan Morgan is asked if he thinks RB Rico Dowdle wants out