ExtremeRavens Posted October 8 Posted October 8 Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is pretty excited about his new addition, courtesy of the Ravens and his older brother John. Asked about Odafe Oweh joining Los Angeles’ defense, Jim Harbaugh said Wednesday that the 26-year-old outside linebacker reminds him of a future Hall of Famer. “To me, he’s a lot like Khalil Mack,” Harbaugh said. “Direct rusher, but has speed, has depth, has ability to set the edge. Been a very good, productive young player in the prime of his career.” That’s a pretty lofty comparison for a player who was shipped out of Baltimore during an unproductive season. The 6-foot-3, 269-pound Mack is a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, three-time All-Pro and 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year who ranks top 50 in NFL history with 108 1/2 career sacks. The 34-year-old Mack is in his fourth season with the Chargers and second under Harbaugh, recording one sack in two games before suffering an elbow injury that placed him on injured reserve. Now, Oweh will be called on to help fill some of those snaps. The 2021 first-round draft pick from Penn State has zero sacks in five games thus far this season after recording a career-high 10 in a breakout 2024 campaign. But the 6-5, 265-pound Oweh ranks 33rd in the NFL in pressure rate (11%), according to TruMedia, which would rank as the second highest on the Chargers by a wide margin behind Tuli Tuipulotu, who is 12th (13.6%). In exchange for Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick, Los Angeles sent safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick to Baltimore to complete the deal. Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that the trade “happened fast” and was handled by general manager Eric DeCosta and Chargers GM Joe Hortiz, a former Ravens executive. Only after the deal did the brothers talk about it, they both said. “I told him you’re getting a great guy, a great player, starting safety. All the good things about Alohi. There’s nothing but good,” Jim Harbaugh said. “And he said the same things about Odafe.” John Harbaugh said there were several factors to consider when making the deal and that trading a former first-round pick was “something that we didn’t take lightly.” In addition to adding a proven safety to a beleaguered secondary, the Ravens created $8 million in cap space as they look to make more moves to salvage a 1-4 start to the season. Oweh in the final year of his contract, worth $13.25 million, and scheduled to be a free agent after this season. Though his production did not equal that level of compensation, his absence will be felt for a pass rush that has recorded the second-fewest sacks (6) and ranks fourth-worst in pressure rate (15.9%). Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, rookie second-round pick Mike Green and David Ojabo are the Ravens’ top options after Nnamdi Madubuike was lost for the season with a neck injury. “He was really intentional about being really direct with his pass rush, run defense and being physical with it off the edge,” John Harbaugh said of Oweh, who is expected to play Sunday for the Chargers. “I thought he was rushing the passer well, probably why the Chargers wanted him.” Jim Harbaugh also noted that the Ravens’ and Chargers’ defensive schemes are similar, which he called “beneficial for both teams.” Former Ravens assistant Jesse Minter is now calling the plays in Los Angeles, which started 3-0 but has lost back-to-back games to the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon. View the full article Quote
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