The Ravens have traded outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman, pending the passing of physicals.
The two teams also swapped Day 3 picks, with Baltimore getting a 2026 fifth-round selection and the Chargers getting a 2027 seventh-rounder, per the Chargers.
The Ravens are showing they're willing to shake things up following a 1-4 start to the season, in which they have given up a league-high 177 points (35.4 per game).
A Ravens first-round pick in 2021, Oweh posted a career-high 10 sacks last season – the second-most on the team. Baltimore picked up Oweh's fifth-year option, which came with a $13.25 million salary cap hit, in hopes that he would take the next step and become one of the league's top pass rushers, but that hasn't materialized.
Through the Ravens' first five games, Oweh had zero sacks and 10 tackles. He was getting far fewer snaps than fellow outside linebacker Tavius Robinson. Oweh played 45% of the snaps so far this season while Robinson played 70%.
Without Oweh, the Ravens' outside linebackers are Robinson, Kyle Van Noy, rookie second-round pick Mike Green, and David Ojabo. Second-year linebacker Adisa Isaac is on injured reserve due to a dislocated elbow and is expected to return at some point this season.
Baltimore needs more pass rush with just six sacks in five games this season, but Oweh hadn't chipped in any yet this season and improvements to the secondary could help.
Baltimore's defensive backfield is banged up, with Kyle Hamilton dealing with a groin injury that sidelined him in the Ravens' 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans last week. It remains to be seen whether Hamilton will be able to return for Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Even once Hamilton is back on the field, the Ravens want to utilize his versatility more. The league's highest-paid safety, Hamilton's strength is playing all over the defense and he could help improve the run defense and pass rush if he's closer to the line of scrimmage. The Achilles injury suffered by Ar'Darius Washington in May has also limited Baltimore's safety usage, which Gilman helps.
Gilman, 28, had spent his six-year career with the Chargers and has started all five games this season with 22 tackles and three passes defensed. A 2020 sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame (and previously Navy), he has been a full-time starter each of the past three seasons in Los Angeles.
He's a 5-foot-10, 200-pound safety who has received high grades for his tackling over his six seasons with the Chargers. Gilman has five interceptions, 21 passes defensed, and 252 tackles over his six NFL seasons. The Ravens also added safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to their practice squad Tuesday.
Oweh was one of the Ravens' many players due to hit free agency this offseason. General Manager Eric DeCosta was clear that Baltimore would not be able to retain them all. The Ravens also reportedly save $8 million on this year's salary cap by trading Oweh now.
The trade partners make sense given their strong connections, as it's John Harbaugh to Jim Harbaugh and DeCosta and former Ravens front office executive Joe Hortiz, who is in his second year as the Chargers' general manager.
