Dare Ogunbowale

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	Yards	TD	YPC
Career		112	594	5	3.4
2025		17	25	1	2.3
2024		17	112	0	3.7
2023		12	35

Season	Team	GP	Att	Yds	TD	YPC	Grade
2025		17	—	25	1	2.3	F F Bottom 5%
2024		17	—	112	0	3.7	F F Bottom 5%
2023		12	—	35	0	4.4	F F Bottom 5%
2022		17	—	123	1	2.9	F F Bottom 5%
2021		17	—	137	1	3.2	F F Bottom 5%
2020		14	—	145	0	4.5	F F Bottom 5%
2019		16	—	17	2	1.5	F F Bottom 5%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Signing Dare Ogunbowale to an $1.8M AAV deal earns a D- CVI, representing a significant overpay for an unproven commodity at running back. While the one-year structure limits long-term risk, paying nearly $2 million annually for a player who hasn't established himself as even a replacement-level contributor feels like desperation rather than smart roster building. The $800K guaranteed portion provides some protection, but that's still substantial money for someone whose track record suggests he's more suited for special teams duties than meaningful offensive snaps. Running backs with minimal proven production typically command veteran minimum deals, making this contract feel inflated by at least $500K-700K annually. This signing screams of a team that either grossly overvalued Ogunbowale's limited sample size or found themselves in a pinch with few viable alternatives remaining on the market.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Dare's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Dare Ogunbowale's on-field production earns a D performance grade against RB peers across the league. At 32 and in his ninth NFL season, Ogunbowale operates firmly in the depth-piece tier — a reliable reserve whose 2025 season statistics reveal a player defined by his role as a complementary contributor rather than an offensive engine. His most notable counting stat came through the passing game, where he accumulated 76 receiving yards across all 17 games, which underscores his identity as a short-yardage and third-down safety valve rather than a featured back. The flat spot in his profile is his minimal footprint in the run game, a void that mirrors his limited offensive usage in Houston and reflects how thoroughly his role has narrowed in the latter stages of his career. His 16 tackles across 17 games indicate genuine durability and a heavy core special teams assignment, which aligns with media characterization of him as a "quality locker-room presence" and a player who extracted maximum value from a constrained opportunity set. At this stage of his career, Ogunbowale projects as a complementary back and special teams anchor for a contending roster — the sort of veteran depth piece that front offices court quietly in free agency, but not one capable of shifting roster architecture or easing depth concerns at the position.

How Dare Compares at the Position

Dare Ogunbowale ranks 153rd of 175 graded running backs by performance. That slots Dare between Julius Chestnut (D) just ahead and Tyler Goodson (D) just behind.

Current Sentiment

Dare Ogunbowale's public narrative sits at a middling C, which is about right for a 32-year-old unrestricted free agent whose reputation outpaces his recent offensive footprint. The media framing around his Houston departure has been notably warmer than you'd expect for a depth piece — several outlets have gone out of their way to characterize him as a quality locker-room presence and a player who squeezed every drop out of a limited role, which softens what could have been a cold sendoff. That goodwill, however, can only carry so much weight when the on-field production grade is a flat F — in the 2025 season across 17 games, he produced 76 receiving yards and 16 tackles, a statistical profile that tells the story of a core special teamer rather than any kind of offensive contributor. The handful of headlines connecting him to potential suitors like Pittsburgh signal there is a real, if modest, market for what he offers — a dependable third-down and passing-down back who can anchor special teams coverage units — and that keeps his free-agent standing from falling into pure obscurity. Heading into a regular season still 126 days away, Ogunbowale's narrative is essentially stable: respected for his professionalism and versatility, but carrying zero momentum as a projected offensive weapon at this stage of his career, which makes the C sentiment grade feel like a ceiling, not a floor.