The Baltimore Ravens deployed one of the league’s best defenses last season and will be looking to do so again this year despite losing defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and several important players.
One player the Ravens will need to step up this season is former first-round pick Odafe Oweh. New defensive coordinator Zach Orr talked about the importance of Oweh having a big year.
“It will be big, man,” Orr said. “It will be big. I think ‘Daf’ [Odafe Oweh] has continued to get better every single year, and when you watch the film, there are a lot of people in this league who cannot do what he can do on the edge. That guy is so talented, and he made a lot of plays last year, so we expect him to make even more plays this year. The better ‘Daf’ is, the better we’re going to be as a [defense], and he knows that, and he’s been putting in the work. So, he’s looking better than he did last year so far, and I’m excited to see where he’s going to take it.”
Baltimore picked up Oweh’s fifth-year option this offseason, keeping him with the team through the next two seasons. The uber athletic edge rusher has flashed over his first three seasons in the NFL but has yet to reach the potential that made him a first-round selection out of Penn State in 2021. Oweh finished last season with five sacks amidst an injury-riddled year.