He enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, but Odafe Oweh is already making a big change to be even better during a contract season with the Baltimore Ravens.
The edge-rusher discussed bulking up from 245 to 265 pounds at OTAs on Wednesday, May 28. Oweh told reporters “After we lost [in Buffalo]. I didn’t have the outing I wanted, and I thought all of it had to do with my weight and being able to be stout in certain positions. So, as soon as the season was done, I went to Miami and started eating and lifting,” per Ravens Vault co-shot Sarah Ellison.
This is a not insignificant change for an outside linebacker who often won with speed last season. It’s telling Ellison noted Oweh expressed the desire to have “more push-off and power.”
His decision to pack on 20 pounds could also be revealing about Oweh’s plans for the future. Those plans will hinge on what the Ravens intend to do about the player selected 31st overall in the 2021 NFL draft.
Oweh is headed for free agency in 2026 as things stand, and he would command a lot more on the open market getting paid as a defensive end. Or at least by offering scheme flexibility to teams running four-man front defenses.
Ravens Have Reason to Be Cautious With Odafe Oweh
If the Ravens aren’t minded to pay Oweh, they could look to trade the 26-year-old. That would most likely happen during the season and would surely depend on how Oweh is performing.
He’s been striving for consistency since entering the pros, but No. 99 finally started living up to the hype last season. Oweh played his best football in the second half of the year, logging 5.5 sacks across the final eight games, per Pro Football Reference.
One of his best games came against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10, when Oweh “had seven pressures and four quarterback hits on Joe Burrow,” according to Ravens.com Editorial Director Ryan Mink, citing statistics from Pro Football Focus.
The numbers were impressive, but this game was a microcosm of Oweh’s career and why the Ravens are right to proceed with caution about his next contract. He simply hasn’t translated enough pressures into sacks and turnovers.
Although he recorded double-digit sacks for the first time in a single season, Oweh didn’t have a sack in three of his last five games. It was his second three-game stretch without a quarterback takedown during the campaign.
The erratic output is why Oweh could find himself waiting for an extension while the Ravens make decisions about higher-priority candidates. At least Oweh still has the faith of his coach.
Ravens Still Believe in Odafe Oweh
They haven’t shown him the money yet, but the Ravens are still believers in Oweh’s potential. Head coach John Harbaugh said as much when he spoke at OTAs and told the press Oweh is “very determined to be really great. Again, I mean, my goal for him is to be All-Pro.”
Harbaugh has set a lofty target for Oweh, but one the Ravens need him to reach. He’s an ascending young player in a pass-rush room still too reliant on ageing wonder Kyle Van Noy to carry the load.
The 34-year-old didn’t disappoint during a Pro Bowl-worthy season in 2024, but the Ravens are lacking many credible options behind the player entering his 12th year in the pros.
They’ve tried to offset the problem by using a second-round pick on last season’s college football sack leader Mike Green. He has genuine breakout potential, while the Ravens also added a highly productive undrafted free agent.
There are still question marks about all of the newcomers, so the Ravens need Oweh to provide more answers.
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