Ravens make desperation trade to shake up struggling defense

Oweh was the Ravens' first-round pick (No. 31 overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft and has had an up-and-down career with the Ravens. He arrived with a lot of expectation to add some spark to the Ravens' pass-rush, but he never really produced consistent results. After recording a career-high 10 sacks in 2024, he has yet to record a single sack in five games and has just 10 tackles. 

He is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season, and was probably playing his way out of a contract extension with his lackluster start to the season. The Chargers needed some pass-rush help, and now Oweh gets a fresh start.

As for Gilman, he will bring some much-needed help to a battered secondary that has been dealing with significant injuries, including to star safety Kyle Hamilton. The 28-year-old Gilman has been a regular part of the Chargers' defense this season and has been a starter since the beginning of the 2023 season. 

Will that be enough to fix the Ravens defense? Probably not. But they had to do something, given how bad they had been through the first five games.

Not only have the Ravens allowed more points through five games than they have in any other season in franchise history, but their 177 points against are one of the worst marks by any team through five games in the history of the NFL (only 10 teams have been worse). 

Gilman seems like a desperate attempt at just trying to rearrange some deck chairs on a sinking ship of a season. At 1-4, the Ravens are now dealing with almost no margin for error the rest of the way and have to try something. Maybe it will help. 

Getting some of their injured players back healthy (including Marlon Humphrey, Roquan Smith and Hamilton) will help more. Even then, it might be a little too late. Especially given the rest of their schedule.