The Las Vegas Raiders added a familiar face to their backfield this week, signing veteran running back Dare Ogunbowale on Thursday, according to the team’s official announcement. ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported the move on X, writing that the Raiders had signed the veteran back as training camp rolls on.
It’s a low-noise, high-value addition. Las Vegas didn’t need a headline name at running back. It needed a body that’s logged 114 NFL games and knows how to survive in the league without ever being the guy defenses game-plan around.
Who Is Dare Ogunbowale?
Ogunbowale enters his eighth NFL season after four years in Houston, where he carved out a role as a jack-of-all-trades — third-down back, special teamer, occasional emergency kicker. Last season he played in all 17 games for the Texans. On offense, he carried the ball 11 times for 25 yards and a touchdown, and caught 10 passes for 76 yards. On special teams, he racked up 16 tackles and a fumble recovery, the second-most on the Texans’ roster in that phase of the game.
He’s bounced around some familiar stops — Washington, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville — but the throughline is the same everywhere: a running back who doesn’t need the ball to be useful. The Las Vegas Review-Journal notes that Ogunbowale had two earlier stints in Tampa Bay overlapping with current Raiders general manager John Spytek’s time in the Buccaneers’ front office, a connection that likely didn’t hurt his path to Las Vegas.
| Category | 2025 Stat |
|---|---|
| Games Played | 17 |
| Carries / Rush Yards | 11 / 25 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 |
| Receptions / Yards | 10 / 76 |
| Special Teams Tackles | 16 |
| Fumble Recoveries | 1 |
Where He Fits Behind Ashton Jeanty
Ogunbowale isn’t walking into a timeshare. He’s walking into a depth chart that starts and mostly ends with Ashton Jeanty, the Raiders’ 2025 first-round pick who ran for 975 yards and five touchdowns as a rookie. Jeanty handled a workhorse-level share of the Las Vegas backfield last season, and nothing about this move changes that math.
What it does change is the margin for error. Behind Jeanty, the room includes rookies Roman Hemby and Mike Washington Jr., along with Dylan Laube — a group with talent but almost no proven NFL snaps. Ogunbowale brings the opposite: limited touches, but a coach’s confidence that he won’t blow an assignment on third down or a punt return.
Jeanty, for his part, has spent the offseason trying to put his rookie-year workload behind him — literally reshaping his body for it. In an interview with CBS Sports’ Bryant McFadden, Jeanty detailed the biggest change he made.
“Yeah, the biggest thing to lose from my diet was definitely sugar. That’s all of us. I love candy, all of that, so just really cutting that down and, you know, dialing it in more for sure,” Jeanty said. “And then just working out, really building up my cardio, getting in better shape. I didn’t feel like I was in good enough shape last year, so being able to play, you know, longer than everybody and, you know, be more physical longer, I think is very important at running back.”
It’s a small, human detail, but it says something about where Jeanty’s head is. He wasn’t dissatisfied with the yardage. He was dissatisfied with how his body held up carrying the load. Ogunbowale’s presence gives him more room to manage that — fewer snaps he has to grind through just because there’s no reliable alternative.
What It Means for the Raiders’ Backfield
None of this is a scheme change or a threat to Jeanty’s workload. It’s a front office recognizing that a rookie-heavy running back room needed one more player who’s already been through eight NFL training camps. Klint Kubiak’s offense will still run through Jeanty. Ogunbowale’s value shows up in the details — a clean check-down option on third down, a body that can hold up on kickoff coverage, a locker-room presence that’s seen how contending rosters operate.
Training camp continues in Henderson, Nevada, with the Raiders one week out from their preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals at Allegiant Stadium, according to the Review-Journal. How Ogunbowale slots into that game plan will be one of the smaller storylines to watch as the roster takes shape.
