Odafe Oweh Talks About Trade to Chargers
A day after being traded to the Chargers, outside linebacker Odafe Oweh arrived in Los Angeles looking forward to a fresh start and apparently carrying a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
Per ESPN’s Kris Rhim, Oweh said he was shocked by the timing of the trade but knew this would be his final season with the Ravens when he didn't get a contract extension last year.
"I was really trying to get an opportunity to be in a new system and prove what I can to people that are really trying to see that, so I have a little animosity on my back," Oweh said. "But I know this is a good opportunity for me to show who I can be and what was not really able to be shown with the Ravens. I'm happy now."
The Ravens picked up Oweh's fifth-year option – which came with a $13.25 million salary cap hit – after he posted a career-high 10 sacks last season, but the 2021 first-round pick did not have any sacks through five games this season. Oweh's snap count fell to a career-low 45%, while fellow outside linebacker Tavius Robinson's rose to 70%.
Oweh, who had a team-high five quarterback hits, said he believes the sacks will come with his new team.
"I don't attribute it to me not having the moves or me not winning," Oweh said, via the Chargers website. "I was winning, just the ball was getting out or different situations in Baltimore.
"There's a lot of things, but I could have been better as well. I know the fact that I have a lot of pressures, that's going to translate. I don't know when. But I'm just going to keep doing what I have to do and the production will come."
By trading Oweh for safety Alohi Gilman, the Ravens added a proven starter to a banged-up and underperforming secondary and gained a reported $8 million of cap space. The teams also swapped Day 3 picks, with Baltimore getting a 2026 fifth-round selection and the Chargers getting a 2027 seventh-rounder.
Head Coach John Harbaugh complimented Oweh's play and said he has an opportunity to "go out there in his contract year and have a chance to make a statement maybe."
"I thought he was rushing the passer well, probably why the Chargers wanted him," Harbaugh said. "I think if you look at the tape, you'll say, 'Hey, he's playing good football.' So, it's not something that we didn't take lightly. We understand that this is a good player – a really good player – who was a first-round pick who was playing well. We just had to weigh it out, all things considered. There's three or four other factors involved in it, too. It does give us a piece in the secondary [in Gilman], who's a really good guy and a really good player who, we think, brings something to the table for us that can help us."
Pundit Says Kyle Hamilton and Zach Orr Benefit From Addition of Gilman
The Baltimore Banner’s Jonas Shaffer looked at the ripple effect of the trade, and said safety Kyle Hamilton and Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr stand to benefit most.
"Gilman was useful in the Chargers' defense because, as a deep safety, he freed up star Derwin James Jr. to play closer to the line of scrimmage," Shaffer wrote. "James has played nearly 92% of his defensive snaps in the slot, in the box or along the line of scrimmage this season, according to PFF. Hamilton, meanwhile, has played just under half of his snaps there.
"But with cornerback Marlon Humphrey sidelined by a calf injury and the Ravens struggling to create splash plays up front, Hamilton's role could evolve. In 2023, he bounced around the defense but starred primarily as coordinator Mike Macdonald's top nickel back in three-safety looks. Hamilton had three sacks, four interceptions and a defensive touchdown that season, earning his first of two straight Pro Bowl honors with a disruptive presence the Ravens have lacked this fall."
Regarding Orr, Shaffer wrote: "The Ravens have one of the NFL's most disappointing defenses, vulnerable through the air and on the ground. Even if Oweh's departure hurts the Ravens' lackluster pass rush, Gilman's arrival should help their coverage over the middle of the field. According to Sports Info Solutions, on passes 5 to 15 yards downfield in between the numbers this season, the Ravens have allowed 355 yards and four touchdowns on 27-for-33 passing.
"Hamilton, one of the defense's most instinctive players, should help there if he plays closer to the line of scrimmage. Gilman is regarded as a strong communicator and should help bring stability to the spine of the defense, which has quickly turned from one of the team's biggest strengths into one of its most glaring weaknesses."
Puka Nacua on Facing the Ravens: 'We Owe Them One'
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua will have payback on his mind when he faces the Ravens Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.
Nacua said he hasn't forgotten the disappointment he felt two years ago when the Ravens beat the Rams in overtime, 37-31, on Tylan Wallace's 76-yard punt return for a touchdown.
"We're in the game, we're playing in Baltimore, and it's a tough, physical game, and then you finish the game and they're walking off and they have a home party. So we owe them one and I'm excited to get back over there," Nacua told Yahoo! Sports' Andrew Siciliano.
As if the Rams need even more motivation, they're coming off a 26-23 upset loss to the banged-up San Francisco 49ers in overtime last Thursday.
Nacua is off to a torrid start to the season, as he leads the league in receptions (52) and receiving yards (588). He's on pace for 1,999 yards, which would break Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson's single-season record of 1,964 yards.
AFC North No Longer Regarded as One of NFL's Best Divisions
The AFC North has a reputation for being one of the NFL's best divisions, but it has not lived up to its reputation so far this season.
ESPN’s Football Power Index, which measures how many points above or below average a team is, ranked the AFC North last among the eight divisions.
The AFC North is the only division that has three teams with losing records: the Cincinnati Bengals (2-3), Ravens (1-4), and Cleveland Browns (1-4). The first-place Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1) are the only division leader to have a negative point differential (-2).
ESPN’s Dan Graziano has a more favorable opinion of the AFC North. He ranked each division by how likely it is to have all four teams reach the playoffs, and the AFC North was No. 5.
"FPI has this rated as the worst division in the league, and I get it," Graziano wrote. "The Steelers have the worst FPI rating of any first-place team outside of the Jaguars, who are tied for first in the AFC South, but the Mike Tomlin Steelers always seem to outperform expectations. While I expect Pittsburgh to come down to Earth a bit, it's foolish to write off the team's chances to make the playoffs.
"The Ravens are 1-4, but they have the best FPI of any team that has yet to win its second game. Baltimore is injury-ravaged, but we don't expect quarterback Lamar Jackson, safety Kyle Hamilton and the bulk of its sidelined stars to be out long term. The Ravens have a chance to recover, and they have the pedigree for us to believe they will."
Regarding Cleveland and Cincinnati, Graziano wrote: "The Browns are 29th offensively in FPI, but they are an encouraging eighth on defense and have given some good teams fits (including beating the Packers). Cincinnati still has a lot of great players in key spots, and if Joe Flacco (or someone else) can just stabilize the QB position before Joe Burrow possibly returns near the end of the season, it could hang around .500 and remain in the playoff race."
No division has ever had all four teams make the playoffs since the field was expanded to 14 teams in 2020.
- Former Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin and his wife will receive the Muhammad Ali Center’s Humanitarian Impact Award at a ceremony next month.
