Brown finished 2014 with 20 carries for 63 yards and five receptions for 44 yards in a total of ten games played with Houston and San Diego. When the Bolts got hit hard by injuries to their top three running backs, they brought back Brown, who had just been cut by the Texans. He served primarily as a third down option when he played, but he rarely got more than a couple of touches per game. San Diego might bring him back again in 2015, depending on what they do with Ryan Mathews, but Brown's upside is extremely limited at this stage of his career.

Brown is inactive for Sunday's game against the Raiders. With the return of Ryan Mathews, Brown is the odd man out in the Chargers' Week 11 backfield.

Brown had one carry for eight yards and caught the lone pass thrown his way for two yards in relief of Branden Oliver on Thursday night in Denver. Oliver dominated the touches in this game, racking up 13 mostly ineffective carries and catching seven passes. The Bolts faced a tough Denver defense and were trailing for much of the night, so the run game didn't really have a chance to get rolling. With Oliver clearly entrenched as the number one back now and Ryan Mathews and Donald Brown presumably not far from returning, Brown's value appears to be virtually non-existent.

Brown had two carries for two yards and caught one pass for one yard in Sunday's win at Oakland. As expected, the Chargers relied heavily on Branden Olliver in this game, with Brown only spotting him on a few plays. The only interesting note is that the other newcomer, Shaughn Draughn, who has actually signed two weeks earlier, did not get a single touch. This probably says something about Brown's placement on the depth chart and the team's confidence in him as a former player.

Brown practiced in San Diego on Wednesday for the first time since rejoining the team he called home in 2012 an 2013 and is busy trying to reacquaint himself with the playbook and system, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Brown is back in San Diego after getting cut by Houston earlier in the week. A rash of injuries to all three of the top Chargers running backs has the Bolts scrambling for able bodies, and Brown became available at exactly the right time for them. While some things have changed in the playbook since Brown was last a Bolt, he is certainly more familiar with the schemes and plays than any other back would be, and could immediately see action. With Donald Brown looking like he might miss this Sunday's game, Branden Oliver will get the bulk of the touches, but Brown and also Shaun Draughn will be in the mix in reserve roles.

Brown signed with the Chargers on Tuesday, Adam Schefter reports. Brown, who spent the 2012-13 seasons with San Diego, was brought back after Donald Brown suffered a concussion in Sunday's win over the Jets. Branden Oliver impressed in Week 5, totaling 182 yards and two touchdowns on 23 touches, and would presumably get most of the work against Oakland if Donald Brown does not get clearance in time to suit up for Week 6. That said, Ryan Mathews (knee) isn't expected back for another couple weeks, so Brown could see the backup work over Shaun Draughn.

Brown was waived by the Texans on Wednesday, Mark Berman of MyFoxHouston.com reports. The Texans' cutting of Brown would seem to suggest the team is confident in the health of top tailback Arian Foster, who played through a hamstring injury in last Sunday's win over the Bills. The Texans signed cornerback Jumal Rolle off the Packers' practice squad to fill Brown's spot on the 53-man roster.

Brown had six carries for three yards and caught one pass for nine yards in Saturday night's preseason win over Atlanta. The veteran back was brought into camp after the Texans shook up their running back corps early in the week. He entered the game at the start of the third quarter along with backups and third-team players.

Brown agreed to terms with the Texans on Monday, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. Brown was signed Monday along with fellow running back William Powell, both of whom will compete for a job backing up starter Arian Foster. They'll have to go through both Jonathan Grimes and rookie Alfred Blue in order to work their way up the depth chart. Brown has carried the ball 1,261 times over nine NFL season, but the Texans believe he has enough left in the tank to serve as a quality backup in 2014.

Free agent Ronnie Brown worked out for the Patriots this week. Joining Brown were TE Nate Byham, TE Ben Hartsock, and RB Brian Leonard. It's the first we've heard of Brown since the Chargers' season came to a close with a loss to Denver in January. Brown can still be a valuable third-down back, but he's 32. He averaged 3.5 YPC on 45 totes in 2013, reeling in eight passes.