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Ravens Trade Former First-Round Pick to Chargers
Nov 25, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) is sacked by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) and linebacker Odafe Oweh (99) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Baltimore Ravens made their first trade of the regular season earlier today, sending outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for veteran safety Alohi Gilman. Some other day-three draft capital is also changing hands, according to Mike Garafolo and Adam Schefter.

This is a mildly-drastic trade for the Ravens to make, having mostly focused on practice squad signings and elevations for the majority of their transactional moves through the first leg of the fall. They didn't have a deep pass-rush to begin with, heavily relying on the older Kyle Van Noy for much of their sack numbers, and now bid farewell to one of their few regular edge rushers.

Oweh spent the first five years with the Ravens in accounting for 67 appearances and 25 starts, but had yet to secure a sack through his first five games of 2025 after notching a career-high 10 last season. He had plenty of chances to factor into the Ravens' defense across his Baltimore tenure, but ultimately failed to live up to the first-round draft pick that the team spent on him in 2021.

Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz previously gushed over Oweh's athleticism and pocket-crashing skills during his draft cycle. He played a role in bringing the prospect over to Baltimore in the first place as the Ravens' former Director of Player Personnel, and now gets to take his pet project for a spin at his new destination.

The Ravens' front office alleviated one of their more pressing extension cases, saving $8 million in trading the expiring soon-to-be free agent.

Their coaching staff can look forward to integrating Gilman into their defense, another dynamic playmaker to tinker with down the middle of the field. The less-heralded pick evolved into a weekly starter over his previous three seasons, netting his fair share of tackles while usually finishing out a season with a picked-off pass.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

He, along with CJ Gardner-Johnson, who was signed to the Ravens' practice squad mere hours before the trade was announced, will look to inject some much-needed life into the Ravens defense. They're swimming at the bottom of nearly every meaningful pass- and rush-defense measurement, and don't look to be improving while waiting on the return of defensive soul Kyle Hamilton.

Gilman, along with rookie first-rounder Malaki Starks, provide the secondary with more flexibility to bolster the deep backfield while applying some more pressure at the front, a major need that the Ravens must sort out to return to making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. And with Oweh's role getting slowly consumed by Mike Green since the season's start, the team has a prayer of taking a defensive step up following the inter-conference trade.

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

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