Steelers rule Rico Dowdle out as Jaylen Warren remains questionable against Bengals

Pittsburgh will be without Rico Dowdle for Sunday's division game against Cincinnati, and Jaylen Warren remains questionable. The Steelers' Friday injury report lists Dowdle out with a toe injury after he missed all three practices. Warren was limited each day with a shoulder issue. The team has not given Warren a final playing decision; his status will be clarified by the Sunday inactive list.

The pairing matters because the Steelers built the backfield around those two players. The club's August depth chart put Warren first and Dowdle second, a plan that leaves a smaller established rotation if Warren cannot play or is limited. The chart was an early-season snapshot, not a guarantee of Sunday's assignments, and the club has not named a replacement for Dowdle.

The team's 2026 statistics show Warren with 21 rushes for 89 yards through two games; Dowdle has 15 rushes for 37. Warren also has seven catches for 61 yards, while Dowdle has four for 28. Pittsburgh has used both in the passing game, so the absence is about more than carries. Travis Homer has two recorded rushes for 16 yards, but that small sample does not establish his likely Week 3 workload.

The same report lists receiver Michael Pittman questionable with a foot injury after limited work all week. This leaves Pittsburgh with more than one offensive availability question entering the matchup. On Cincinnati's side, receiver Andrei Iosivas is out with a thumb injury and defensive tackle B.J. Hill is doubtful with an Achilles issue. Those are official game statuses, not predictions about how either team will play.

For fantasy and roster managers, Dowdle is unavailable this week. Warren's questionable designation requires a Sunday morning check before assigning him a role or assuming another back inherits a full workload. The final active list, rather than an estimated split, is the next reliable checkpoint.