With linebacker Justin Houston recently signing with the Carolina Panthers, the Baltimore Ravens are expecting to see an uptick in production from their young pass rush duo of Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo
Oweh and Ojabo possess all the traits to be starters in the league, but their careers have gotten off to relatively slow starts. Oweh, a former first-round pick, has recorded just eight sacks since being drafted in 2021, while Ojabo missed all but one game last season recovering from an Achilles injury. Ojabo was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Houston led the Ravens in sacks in 2022 with 9.5, and now that he is out of the picture, NBC's Chris Simms believes both Oweh and Ojabo are the two players to watch on Baltimore's defense in 2023.
"Oweh is one [player] I'm going to look at because it's time, he's got to start to be a force," Simms said on Wednesday. "He or David Ojabo... One of [them] has to pop up to be a force on the edge of the defense."
The Ravens appear uncertain about what they have in Oweh and Ojabo, as the team hosted veteran edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney for a visit on Tuesday.
Time will tell if the duo can carry Baltimore's pass rush or not, but if they can put together productive 2023 seasons, Oweh and Ojabo could become cornerstones on the Ravens' defense for years to come.
You can follow Ben King on Twitter at @BKing_2023.
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