Alohi Gilman stood in the Ravens locker room on Wednesday and tried to process the previous 24 hours.
It had been a blur.
On Tuesday, the veteran safety was traded from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Ravens, in a deal that sent outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to Los Angeles. Working on three hours of sleep, Gilman had gone from West Coast to East Coast. From LAX to BWI. From Jim Harbaugh to John Harbaugh.
It's been hectic, but Gilman feels he can help the Ravens' secondary quickly. Even as early as Sunday, when they host the Los Angeles Rams.
"You're on a plane in three hours. Put a whole bunch of stuff in your bag, say goodbye, hit the road," Gilman said. "It's a whirlwind of emotions. I spent a good amount of time with the Chargers, my whole career, six years. It's a little bittersweet, but I've come to a great organization. I'm super grateful for that. They wanted me to be here to help this team win."
Gilman's savvy and experience should help him make a fast transition into the Ravens' defensive scheme, and they can use his talents. Baltimore has yielded the most points in the NFL through Week 5. While Gilman can't fix things alone, there are reasons to believe his presence will help.
The 28-year-old Gilman is a former sixth-round pick who earned his way into a starting role with the Chargers. He has 39 career starts with five interceptions, and he'll feel right at home reunited with Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, his former teammate at Notre Dame.
"K-Ham, that's my brother," Gilman said. "He was a young freshman my senior year at Notre Dame. He was having a hard time as a freshman, wanted to quit. I had to keep him in shape. Now he's an All-Pro.
"Kyle's been a great friend, great player. We've got that Notre Dame connection going again. I'm excited for what's ahead."
Gilman has heard plenty about the Ravens, not just from Hamilton but from Tony Jefferson, the former Ravens safety who now plays for the Chargers. When Jefferson's name was brought up, Gilman smiled.
"Since he's been at the Chargers, he's always been repping the Ravens, and I used to get on him for it, and now I'm here," Gilman said. "I gave him a call right before I got on the plane. I've had a lot of great memories with him, and he has so much respect for this organization. He's like, 'Man, you're gonna love it.'"
This is Gilman's first experience being traded, but it's not his first major transition. A native of Hawaii, Gilman began his college career at the Naval Academy and played there for one season before transferring to Notre Dame.
"I have a little bit of history with Maryland. It has a special place in my heart, but I'm happy to be out here and get this thing rolling."
Ravens outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy was teammates with Gilman for one season with the Chargers, and Van Noy is confident Gilman's presence will be a boost to the defense.
"A very good football player," Van Noy said. "I'm excited for him to come into our locker room and be a leader right away, get to work. Hopefully he's up on Sunday because I think he's going to be able to help us out."
That is exactly what Gilman intends to do. His head was still spinning on Wednesday, but he'll spend the next four days studying the playbook, getting ready for Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
That's how quickly things can change in the NFL. He said goodbye to his family on Tuesday in California and said hello to a new beginning with Baltimore. The familiar faces of Hamilton and Van Noy will help, and the Ravens' head coach strongly resembles the head coach Gilman just played for.
"With the Harbaugh brothers, I'm excited to see the similarities and differences," Gilman said. "Obviously, I have a lot of respect for both of them – Jim Harbaugh at the Chargers and then John, obviously, the history that he's made here and built this great organization – so I'm excited for it, for sure."
