Dare Ogunbowale

109 catches vs 177 carries — Ogunbowale sits in the top 5% of pass-catching RBs league-wide.

Across 8 regular seasons (2018-2025), Ogunbowale has caught 109 passes for 850 yards while logging only 177 carries for 594 yards. That reception-to-carry ratio of 0.62 is nearly 2.5× the league average.

Among 818 RBs with at least 50 carries since 2018, the average rec/carry ratio is 0.25. Ogunbowale's 0.62 places him in the top 44 of 818 (top 5%) — a rare profile for a backup who has never been a primary ball-carrier. His role has been carved out strictly as a passing-down specialist: coaches deploy him when they need a soft-handed check-down option, not a between-the-tackles grinder.

3 franchises in 8 seasons — and his peak came in Year 3, not as a starter.

Ogunbowale entered the NFL in 2017 out of Wisconsin (undrafted) and has now played regular-season snaps with three franchises across eight seasons — never as a starter, always as a depth piece.

The Tampa Bay era (2018-2019) was his statistical peak: 35 catches for 286 yards in 2019 remains his career-best receiving season. He was deployed as a pure pass-catching back, starting no games but catching 76% of his targets.

He landed in Houston in 2022 and has stuck there for four straight seasons — the longest single-franchise run of his career, and evidence that the Texans value what he brings on third down.

His career-best season (2019 TB): 35 catches, 286 yards — on just 11 carries all year.

In 2019 with Tampa Bay, Ogunbowale played 16 games and logged just 11 carries all season — yet caught 35 passes for 286 yards off 46 targets. That's a 76% catch rate on 46 targets while almost never being asked to run the ball.

No other season comes close: his next-best receiving year was 2024 (19 rec, 198 yds). The 2019 Tampa Bay offense — led by Jameis Winston's record-setting pass-heavy scheme — was the perfect environment for a pure third-down back, and Ogunbowale was their designated check-down valve.

5 career rushing TDs and 2 receiving TDs — modest totals stretched across 8 seasons.

Career TD line: 5 rushing TDs, 2 receiving TDs across 8 seasons. The rushing TDs broke down as: 2019 TB (2 scores), 2021 JAX (1), 2022 HOU (1), 2025 HOU (1).

The receiving TDs came in 2021 (JAX) and 2024 (HOU). None of those years had meaningful volume — these were opportunistic red-zone touches for a back who almost never sees them. Seven career TDs across 94 regular-season game appearances works out to one scoring touch every 13.4 games.

Same 2017 draft class as McCaffrey, Kamara, and Ekeler — all undrafted, still active in 2025.

The 2017 NFL RB class includes some of the best receiving backs of the era — McCaffrey, Kamara, Ekeler. Ogunbowale entered that same class undrafted out of Wisconsin and is still playing real snaps in 2025.

Among the 35 RBs from the 2017 entry class who logged regular-season stats, only 4 are still active in 2025: the three stars above, and Ogunbowale. Most of his undrafted peers from that class washed out within 2-3 seasons. He has outlasted drafted players like Leonard Fournette (7 seasons) and Dalvin Cook (8 seasons, now retired) by staying useful without ever being featured.