Ravens Breakout Defender Named Franchise Tag Candidate

One of the Baltimore Ravens breakout players from a season ago has just one year left on his deal, which leaves the team with an important decision to make — pay or franchise tag him.

Linebacker Odafe Oweh, a first-round pick by the Ravens in 2021, is set to play on his fifth-year option in 2025. However, he just broke out with a career-high 10 sacks in 2024.

Brandon Austin of Pro Football Network believes that's what makes Oweh the perfect franchise tag candidate for Baltimore.

"Oweh’s physical transformation, adding 20 pounds of muscle, enhanced his ability to overpower blockers. His growth as a disruptive presence could make him a prime candidate for the franchise tag in Baltimore," Austin writes. "Oweh will be in the same free-agent class as elite rushers like Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt, and Trey Hendrickson, which could inflate costs. The Ravens have a history of tagging players, so if Oweh can deliver another double-digit sack campaign, he makes the most sense."

Oweh won't demand the type of money that Parsons, Watt and Hendrickson will, barring another massive leap this season, but he could be due for a big payday if he proves his 2024 campaign wasn't an outlier.

If the Ravens aren't willing to pay those demands, the franchise tag could be much more palatable and less of a long-term commitment.

It took a little bit for Oweh to find his footing in the NFL. He showed flashes as a rookie while recording 33 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one pass defensed.

However, he had just three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in two more games the following year.

Oweh then dealt with injuries in 2023 that limited him to just 13 games, but he matched his five-sack total once again.

His rise seems like it should only continue, but for now, Baltimore is getting Oweh for a steal. His fifth-year option carries a $13.251 million cap hit for 2025, per Spotrac.