Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Ravens New Addition Makes Seamless Transition in Debut

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Anthony Miller | Last updated Oct 15, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It's hard to make a first impression on new coaches, especially when a player joins a team in the middle of the season. Still, safety Alohi Gilman has been turning heads with members of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff.

Gilman was part of the stunning trade the Ravens made last week when they sent edge rusher Odafe Oweh and a Day 3 draft pick to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for the sixth-year safety and a Day 3 draft pick as well. This move was made to improve the Ravens' secondary, which was banged up with injuries, including Kyle Hamilton and Marlon Humphrey.

From the moment he stepped on the practice field, the Ravens coaching staff knew they had someone special.

"It kind of looked like the same to you," Ravens senior defensive assistant and secondary coach Chuck Pagano said, "it looked like he'd been here a couple of years. I think it helped being in a similar system. You know Jesse Minter being out there in Los Angeles with those guys, so I think there were some carry over there. It was a seamless transition."

Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Even Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr was impressed with how the safety play with less than a week's work.

"Beast man. I mean, he came right in on Wednesday morning, that's the first I have seen him that he was out there taking every rep in practice on defense, so we knew he was going to be playing every rep and being from a similar system. Credit to him, credit to DD, and Pagano. Those guys spent plenty of hours, after hours, and before hours prepared and he was directing traffic first day in practice, so I knew it was going to be a good addition in the lineup with him."

Orr praised Gilman for his performance in his first career games in a Ravens uniform, racking up seven tackles in the 17-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. His impact was felt right away as he got the team's highest PFF tackling grade with 83.3 and the second-highest run defense grade at 75.8.

Gilman has made it easy on the coaching staff to know that he should be starting in the secondary moving forward. He makes Hamilton's life easier in the secondary as he can make all the same type of plays that he can.

Expect Gilman to be a force within a Ravens defense that desperately needs it after the rough start to the season they have had.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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