CUP OF JOE: Odafe Oweh is Free!

Since being traded by the Ravens for safety Alohi Gilman, Odafe Oweh has become the kind of edge rusher that the Ravens have been missing. To borrow from Alanis Morrisette, “Isn’t it ironic?”

Oweh has 7 sacks in 9 games as a Charger. The Ravens leader in the sack department is rookie Mike Green with 3 ½ sacks registered during the 14 games he’s played in so far in 2025.

Happy birthday Odafe Oweh!

In 9 games with the Chargers this season Oweh has had

— 25 total pressures
— 3 QB hits
— 15 hurries
— 7 sacks

Thank you Ravens pic.twitter.com/00QFzUvxjE

— ChargersMuse (@ChargersMuse) December 15, 2025

So why has Oweh been so successful in LA v. his 5 games as a Raven in 2025?

Part of it could be the result of scheme. The Ravens try to create pressure oftentimes with simulated blitzes designed to surprise quarterbacks. The intent is to present a pre-snap formation and drop into a different look post-snap. Kyle Van Noy’s interception last weekend against Joe Burrow is a perfect example.

I don’t know who needs to see this today, but here’s THAT 95 yard pick six from Kyle Van Noy and Alohi Gilman that ended the Bengals season! pic.twitter.com/m8QEcbJMOY

— Nic Mason (@British_Raven19) December 15, 2025

These schemed up simulated pressures can limit the production of an edge rusher who is asked to drop into coverage. The Chargers, guided by defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, do things differently. They skip the simulated pressures and send their best pass rushers after the quarterback. That approach has been fully embraced by Oweh.

“This team has afforded me the opportunity to just be free, be me. They trust me. They believe in me.”

That’s hardly a ringing endorsement for the Ravens and DC Zach Orr.

But this brings us to another consideration when it comes to Oweh’s bump in sack production as a Charger. The players around him make a difference. Let’s start with Baltimore.

The Ravens lost Nnamdi Madubuike after just 2 games this season. Beeks is an accomplished interior pass rusher who commands attention. Perhaps he’s double teamed. Perhaps the running back in pass pro is keying on him for a chip. Whatever the case, more offensive assets deployed to neutralize a threat like Madubuike, frees up other players across the defensive front to win their one-on-one battles.

In LA, Oweh is complemented by the talents of Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu. When on the field together as part of a pass rush sub package, the Chargers have produced a 55 percent pressure rate, according to TruMedia. For reference, the league average pressure rate is 36.3 percent, and the leading pressure defense is the Vikings at 44.5 percent.

Ravens fans tried to tell me Odafe Oweh was a bum. He now has 7 sacks in 9 games as a Charger and the film always pops. This is a FILTHY cross chop after getting chipped by the TE. pic.twitter.com/GzOfH5A95f

— Steven Haglund (@StevenIHaglund) December 15, 2025

In 2004 when the Ravens drafted Dwan Edwards out of Oregon State, they later added Roderick Green in the fifth. Then, as the Director of College Scouting, Eric DeCosta shared that when the Ravens spend high-end draft capital on a defensive player, they look for other defenders with complementary skill sets. The idea being that the whole (in other words two players together) is greater than the sum of the parts. Green and his skill set was thought to be a nice complement to Edwards and his tools as a DT. Sometimes it doesn’t work out but the intent is to elevate the play of both defenders by blending their talents.

Scheme plays a role for sure, but so too does the talent around an edge rusher. Credit Chargers’ GM Joe Hortiz for recognizing the highly compatible skills sets of Oweh, Mack and Tuipulotu.

Oweh has always had the physical gifts. In LA he now has the right fit to get the most out of them. But perhaps more importantly for Oweh’s financial future, he can cash in on his production as a Charger.

“I feel like I’m coming into my prime,” Oweh said. “I’m starting to understand things better — how to rush, how to set people up, how to build my rush. It’s all coming together at the right time.”

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