ExtremeRavens Posted August 12 Posted August 12 David Ojabo moseyed to the podium after practice Monday afternoon in Owings Mills sporting a pair of designer slides that featured a skeletal foot motif on them. Unintentional, of course, it also felt apropos given all the X-rays and medical treatment the Ravens outside linebacker has undergone since Baltimore selected him in the second round of the 2022 draft. Alas, this summer has finally been different for the former Michigan standout. “It’s my first true offseason healthy,” Ojabo said. “I feel like myself. I feel confident. Just kinda letting it rip. Not thinking about rehabbing, just thinking about football.” Now the question is what kind of impact the 25-year-old will have for Baltimore this season. With outside linebackers Odafe Oweh, Kyle Van Noy and ascendant third-year player Tavius Robinson all ahead of him on the depth chart, opportunities start to shrink quickly after that with second-round rookie Mike Green, who led the FBS in sacks last season with 17, also expected to play a significant role. That means that Ojabo and 2024 third-round pick Adisa Isaac could end up competing for one spot if the Ravens decide to keep only five outside linebackers on the 53-man roster. Coincidentally, Isaac has endured his own share of injuries, with a hamstring issue plaguing him much of last season, though he could have an edge over Ojabo given special teams duties. If the numbers game is bouncing around in the back of Ojabo’s head, he isn’t letting on. “I’ve heard nothing about that,” he said. “I’m out here, get the call, play fast, have fun, control what I can control, which is my effort and my attitude.” It’s understandable given what has been a difficult path for the 6-foot-4, 252-pound pass rusher. Over his first two seasons, Ojabo appeared in just five games. As a rookie, a torn Achilles tendon suffered during his pro day kept him sidelined until the final two games of the regular season. In 2023, he partially tore his ACL in Week 3 and didn’t play again that year. Last season, he appeared in 13 games and logged 275 defensive snaps and finished with just nine tackles, six quarterback hits and two sacks and was a healthy scratch for four games. But this summer there have been signs of progress, starting with just being on the field. Ojabo has impressed in training camp and last week, in Baltimore’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, he had two tackles, including an unblocked sack of Anthony Richardson that knocked the quarterback out of the game with a finger injury. “He’s an upside guy,” coach John Harbaugh said. “I feel like myself. I feel confident," said Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo, who celebrates a sack against the Colts in the preseason. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff) The Ravens hope that’s the case, for Isaac as well. “They came in ready to play,” outside linebacker coach Matt Robinson said. “Their lower half is starting to come back and that allows them to play really strong at the point of attack.” Now he and the rest of the coaches just need to see more of it, in practice and later this week in Baltimore’s next preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. “In the game I really want him to affect the game in different ways,” Robinson said. “Whether it’s setting a dominant edge, being a physical player, getting a pocket push and getting his body on the quarterback. “I think we saw him take steps toward that in the [Colts] game and he has a couple more opportunities to prove that moving forward.” Which is a direction that is relatively new for Ojabo. Injuries are like quicksand, particularly for young players trying to develop. Missing that much time not only stunts growth, it halts it. Ojabo has tried to not let it get him down, and a trip to his native Nigeria with teammates Nnamdi Madubuike and Odafe Oweh provided some life perspective. In between that and the start of training camp he also worked on flexibility, strength and X’s and O’s with Robinson as he tried to get an “edge” on formations to sharpen his football IQ in an effort to take his game to “the next level.” What’s that look like in his eyes? “Everything from run dominance to pass dominance to even dropping [into coverage],” he said. “Just being versatile, being able to be a four-down player, not just first, second or third. Just be on the field, do my drive, be productive, come off, next, next.” Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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