One former Tampa Bay Buccaneers special teams ace is headed for a new beginning in the AFC.
“The Raiders signed veteran RB Dare Ogunbowale, who worked out for them recently,” NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo wrote on his official X account on Thursday. “An experienced, versatile add to the backfield in Vegas.”
Ogunbowale had 2 stints with the Buccaneers — in 2017 on the practice squad, then 2 more seasons on the regular-season roster in 2018 and 2019. He made the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and also spent 2 seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and played for the Houston Texans for the last 3 seasons.
Since cracking an NFL roster, Ogunbowale has been incredibly reliable and incredibly durable. Since 2019, he’s played in 111 out of a possible 118 regular-season games. That’s been done mostly through being such a stellar special-teams contributor — he even kicked a field goal for the Texans in 2023 after an injury to starter Ka’imi Fairbairn.
Las Vegas Raiders general manager John Spytek is familiar with Ogunbowale — he was the assistant GM for the Buccaneers during both of Ogunbowale’s previous stints.
“Spytek brings in a special-teams ace from his early Bucs days,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account on Thursday.
Why Ogunbowale’s Name Might Sound Familiar
If Ogunbowale’s name sounds familiar, it might be because his younger sister, Arike Ogunbowale, is 1 of the singularly dominant women’s basketball players in the world over the last decade.
After becoming a 2-time All-American and leading Notre Dame to the 2018 NCAA Women’s national championship, Ogunbowale was the No. 5 overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the 2019 WNBA Draft.
In her 1st 7 seasons in the WNBA, Ogunbowale is a 4-time WNBA All-Star, 3-time All-WNBA pick, and 2-time WNBA All-Star Game MVP.
She led the WNBA in scoring in 2020, led the WNBA in steals in 2024, and won an Unrivaled championship in 2026.
Versatile Former Bucs RB Signs With Last-Place AFC Team