Texans Sign RB Dare Ogunbowale
Dare Ogunbowale is off to Houston. The running back is signing with the Texans, reports Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
The former Jaguars RB got a two-year, $3.3 million from Houston.
Ogunbowale actually got his first NFL gig with the Texans after going undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2017. It took him until 2019 to stick around for an entire NFL season when he got into 16 games for the Buccaneers. He finished that season with 303 yards from scrimmage, which still represents a career high.
The RB joined Jacksonville in 2020, and he saw time in 31 games for the organization over the past two years. He finished his Jaguars career having collected 450 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Ogunbowale also contributed on special teams, collecting 17 tackles during his two years in Jacksonville.
In Houston, he’ll be joining a depth chart that’s currently led by Rex Burkhead. Both David Johnson and Royce Freeman are currently free agents.
Dolphins, FB Alec Ingold Agree To Terms
Mike McDaniel‘s previous team reset the fullback market. His new one is adding a well-regarded blocking back as well.
The Dolphins and Alec Ingold agreed to a deal Wednesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. It is a two-year pact worth up to $7.5MM. While precise terms are not yet available, this is a nice fullback contract.
Although Ingold’s deal does not threaten Kyle Juszczyk‘s place atop the fullback salary hierarchy, the latter’s usage in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense points to Ingold being valued well by McDaniel’s team. The Raiders did not tender Ingold as a restricted free agent, but this deal points to him earning more than the low-end RFA tender figures would pay.
Ingold, 25, played between 20% and 23% of the Raiders’ offensive plays during his three-year stay with the team. Juszczyk was on the field for 56% of the 49ers’ snaps last season, making it safe to assume Ingold’s usage rate will increase in Miami.
Raiders To Sign RB Brandon Bolden
Brandon Bolden is teaming up with his former offensive coordinator in Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the running back and special teamer, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).
Head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler are plenty familiar with Bolden, who spent nine of his 10 professional seasons in New England. Bolden was a special teams mainstay throughout his stint with the Patriots, collecting 51 tackles and three forced fumbles. This includes a 2021 campaign where he collected a career-high 11 tackles while appearing in 63 percent of New England’s ST snaps.
The veteran also had his best season on offense this past year. After having collected only 376 yards from scrimmage between 2016 and 2019 in stints with the Patriots and Dolphins (Bolden opted out of the 2020 campaign), the running back finished 2021 with 631 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Bolden will likely continue having a special teams role in Las Vegas, but he could easily slide into the depth chart behind Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake.
Cardinals Release Jordan Phillips
Veteran defensive linemen Jordan Phillips is on the lookout for a new NFL home. The Cardinals have released the 29-year-old, per ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
Phillips signed a three-year deal with Arizona in 2020, but he was limited to only 18 games during his two years with the team. His 2020 campaign came to an early end thanks to a hamstring injury, and he also started the 2021 season on the injured reserve.
In total, Phillips finished his Cardinals career having compiled five sacks. That includes a 2021 campaign where he finished with 22 tackles, three sacks, and four QB hits.
The former second-round pick spent the first three-plus seasons of his career with the Dolphins, and he eventually caught on with Buffalo midway through the 2018 campaign. He had a breakout season during his lone full year in Buffalo, finishing with 9.5 sacks.
Cardinals Sign CB Jeff Gladney
Jeff Gladney is landing in Arizona after all. After meeting with the Cardinals yesterday, the cornerback is signing with the team, reports Josina Anderson (on Twitter). Gladney is getting a two-year deal.
Glandey was recently acquitted by a jury on assault charges. The cornerback was released by the Vikings last August following an indictment for domestic violence. Gladney was accused of choking, punching, and shoving a woman during an incident in April, 2021.”
“This has been a challenging time for Jeff mentally, spiritually and athletically,” his agents, Brian E. Overstreet and Rodney Williams, said at the time. “So, we applaud Jeff for having the courage to stand and fight for his freedom versus these false allegations”
The TCU product was selected in the first round of the 2020 draft by the Vikings. He got into 16 games (15 starts) as a rookie, finishing with 81 tackles and three passes defended
Ravens To Bring Back LB Za’Darius Smith
Mentioned as a possible Za’Darius Smith landing spot, the Ravens are indeed reacquiring their former pass rusher. The recently released Packer is committing to Baltimore. 
The Ravens are adding Smith on a four-year, $35MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This deal is not as lucrative as the one Smith signed in Green Bay three years ago, but Schefter adds it can max out at $50MM. The 29-year-old spent the first four years of his carer with the Ravens, where he followed a familiar pattern of edge rushers gradually growing in their role on the team.
In his final season in Charm City, the former fourth round pick posted a career-high 8.5 sacks. That earned him a sizeable second contract with the Packers, where he paired with Preston Smith to form one of the league’s best pass-rushing tandems. He totalled 26 sacks in 2019 and 2020, earning him Pro Bowl nods in each of those campaigns.
However, he was limited to a single game in 2021 due to a back injury. That, coupled with the emergence of former first rounder Rashan Gary, as well as his aforementioned hefty contract, made Smith a viable release candidate. It wasn’t surprising, then, that the Packers quickly made it clear he would only be brought back at a more affordable price.
While Green Bay was willing to keep Smith at the cash value he was owed (as opposed to his much higher cap number), it seemed the parting of ways by the two sides was mutual. The team will now move forward with Gary and the recently re-signed Preston Smith at the forefront of their edge rush department. As for the Ravens, a significant hole in the front seven has been filled. Before this news, the team’s only two notable pass rushers under contract were Tyus Bowser (who tore his Achilles in the season finale) and first round rookie Odafe Oweh (who tailed off after an impressive start to the campaign).
Smith joins safety Marcus Williams as the Ravens’ second noteworthy signing on the defensive side of the ball. Not generally known for making splashes at the top of the free agent market, they have now added two major pieces to a roster which many saw as Super Bowl-caliber at the beginning of last season.
Titans To Release Julio Jones
The Titans will make Julio Jones a one-and-done in Tennessee. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver will be released, Dianna Russini and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com report (on Twitter).
Tennessee traded a second-round pick for Jones last year, but the longtime Atlanta star could not shake the hamstring trouble that plagued him during his final Falcons season. If the Titans do not designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut, they will take on more than $13MM in dead money. The Titans are, in fact, using the June 1 designation Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will save the team more than $9MM this year.
While this will make Jones a first-time free agent, he is not hitting the market with momentum. The All-Decade wideout ripped off a record-setting stretch from 2014-19, surpassing 1,390 yards in each season and making six straight Pro Bowls. But injury absences began to pile up in 2020. That proved to be a bad sign for the Titans, who could only get 10 games out of the high-level trade acquisition.
Jones caught just 31 passes for 434 yards — both career-low marks; even Jones’ five-game 2013 season produced better numbers — and saw his hamstring injury keep leading to missed time. Tennessee’s Jones-A.J. Brown tandem did not come to fruition, with Brown also struggling on the health front. But Brown will be due a big payday soon. Jones’ Falcons-constructed contract will no longer be part of the Titans’ equation at that point.
Having turned 33 this offseason, Jones may attract some interest. Draft classmate A.J. Green managed to land a reasonable Cardinals deal despite an injury-marred ending to his Bengals run. Any Jones contract figures to be a fairly low-cost deal, however. He signed a $22MM-per-year extension with the Falcons in 2019; two years remained on that pact prior to Wednesday’s move.
Browns To Re-Sign OL Chris Hubbard
The Browns have made another move pertaining to their offensive line. Cleveland is re-signing tackle Chris Hubbard to a one-year deal, reports ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Browns To Release J.C. Tretter]
Many thought the veteran could be on his way out of Cleveland, given that he had been eclipsed on the depth chart and underwent surgery following a triceps injury. With his contract expiring, it wouldn’t have come as a surprise if the 30-year-old had looked elsewhere for his next NFL home. Instead, he will remain in the AFC North, the only division he’s played in.
Hubbard started his career with the Steelers in 2014. He spent four seasons there, making 10 starts in 2017. That earned him a five-year deal with the Browns in the subsequent offseason. Brought in to be a starter with that kind of contract, the former UDFA manned the right tackle spot for all but one game in his first two campaigns in Ohio. In 2020, though, he was replaced by Jack Conklin.
Hubbard has since settled into the swing role he held when he began in Pittsburgh. In his only game in 2021, he filled in for left tackle Jedrick Wills but the team primarily used rookie James Hudson to do so afterwards. Still, he represents an experienced, versatile depth piece to the Brown’s offensive front.
RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/16/22
Here’s a look at the latest tender decisions from around the NFL:
RFAs
Tendered:
- Bills: OL Ryan Bates
- Broncos: OLB Malik Reed
- Commanders: K Joey Slye
- 49ers: LB Azeez Al-Shaair
- Jets: K Eddy Pineiro, QB Mike White
- Rams: LB Travin Howard
- Saints: DL Shy Tuttle
Non-tendered:
- Bills: DT Justin Zimmer
- Broncos: DL DeShawn Williams
- Chiefs: CB Chris Lammons
- Giants: QB Jake Fromm
- Jets: DE Kyle Phillips, OT Greg Senat
- Raiders: CB Keisean Nixon
- Jaguars: RB Dare Ogunbowale
ERFAs
Tendered:
- Commanders: C Keith Ismael, K Brian Johnson, DE Bunmi Rotimi
Cardinals To Re-Sign Maxx Williams
The Cardinals are in line to keep another member of their tight end room. The team is giving Maxx Williams a one-year deal, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Cardinals, Zach Ertz Closing In On Deal]
Williams, who will be 28 at the start of next season, has spent the past campaigns seasons in Arizona. That was preceded by four years in Baltimore, after the Ravens drafted him in the second round in 2015. He totalled 497 receiving yards in 42 games with the Ravens, which included 21 starts.
In Arizona, the Minnesota product has put up an identical number of yards, in this case needing 12 fewer games to do so. Not surprisingly, that production has come as a result of greater playing time. He snap percentage has increased in each of the last three years, reaching 66% in 2021. He was off to an impressive start this season, but suffered a torn ACL in Week 5.
Even with Ertz back, then, Williams has cared out a role for himself in the team’s offense. With receiver Christian Kirk having signed with the Jaguars, the veteran could also be in line for an increase in targets. In any event, Williams’ blocking ability should continue to earn him plenty of time on the field for what was one of the league’s top offenses in 2021.