Category: Ravens News

Ravens exercise 5th-year option on edge rusher Odafe Oweh

The Baltimore Ravens are picking up the fifth-year option on Odafe Oweh, ensuring he makes

The Baltimore Ravens announced on Tuesday that they have exercised the fifth-year option on pass rusher Odafe Oweh, extending his rookie contract through the 2025 season.

Baltimore drafted Oweh in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Penn State. He started in 13 games last season and registered five sacks, tied for the most in his career. He also had 23 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.

“We are happy to announce that the Ravens will be picking up Odafe Oweh’s fifth-year option,” General Manager Eric DeCosta announced. “We look forward to watching him play great football for us this year.”

Upon being exercised, the fifth-year option is fully guaranteed, and any base salary in the player’s fourth year that was not fully guaranteed will become so.

Oweh will earn $13,251,000 in 2025 while carrying a $3,608,942 cap number in 2024.

OWeh got better over time last season, with all five of his sacks coming down the stretch, but the production was elite and worth more than just those totals.

Oweh’s pass rush win rate of 18.2% ranked tied for 10th among all EDGE defenders with at least 100 pass rushes, per Pro Football Focus.

He’ll now work to replace Jadeveon Clowney’s as the club’s top edge rusher.

Qadry Ismail’s son Qadir invited to tryout at Ravens rookie minicamp

Qadir Ismail, the son of Qadry Ismail, has received an invitation to try out at the team’s rookie minicamp later this week

The Ravens are looking for wide receiver depth, and a familiar name has been invited to the Under Armour Performance Center.

Qadry Ismail’s son Qadir was recently invited to tryout at the Ravens rookie minicamp that’ll start later this week.

Ismail spent his first four seasons at Villanova where he played quarterback and receiver. as a freshman in 2018, Ismail played in three games, starting one contest at quarterback, where he completed 11-of-29 passes for 180 yards and one touchdown. In 2021 he moved to wide receiver and played in nine games, catching 11 passes for 181 yards on the season.

During the 2022 season at Samford, Ismail appeared in three games for the Southern Conference Champions… Heaught three passes for 21 yards. During his final season at Samford, Ismail had 11 catches for 114 yards.

His father Quadry, started at Syracuse, where he played football and ran track. Ismail was an All-American selection as a kick returner in 1991, and a first team All-Big East selection as a wide receiver and kickoff returner, and a second team all-Big East selection as wide receiver.

With the Ravens, Ismail’s best season came in 1999 when he led the team with 68 catches, 1,105 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, including career-high 258 yards in one game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ismail was a key member of the Ravens 2000 Super Bowl team.

How did the Ravens do in draft value relative to the 2024 consensus board?

The Ravens selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft, with Eric DeCosta getting great value from four of his first six picks. Value is an integral part of the draft process. Understanding the board is vital to judging how teams maximized value …

The Ravens selected nine players in the 2024 NFL draft, with Eric DeCosta getting great value from four of his first six picks.

Value is an integral part of the draft process. Understanding the board is vital to judging how teams maximized value during the draft.

Establishing actual “value” on NFL draft prospects is incredibly difficult, with all 32 NFL teams having different schemes, cultures, and ideas of what elite talent looks like.

Arif Hasan of Wide Left Football creates the go-to consensus board, ranking the top 300 players in the draft class based on 101 big boards from draft analysts. As Hasan noted, “the consensus of these experts does a better predictive job than individual experts.”

With the draft now final, here are Baltimore’s picks, consensus rank, pick number, and the difference between the two.

Consensus rank: 24

Pick number: 30

Difference: +6


Consensus rank: 75

Pick number: 62

Difference: -13


Consensus rank: 66

Pick number: 93

Difference: +27


Consensus rank: 82

Pick number: 113

Difference: +31


Consensus rank: 55

Pick number: 130

Difference: +75

Eric DeCosta noncommital on whether Ravens will pick up Odafe Oweh’s 5th-year option

Eric DeCosta declines to comment on whether or not the team will pick up Odafe Oweh’s fifth-year option. Following the conclusion of Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta met with the media. During the session, …

Eric DeCosta declines to comment on whether or not the team will pick up Odafe Oweh’s fifth-year option.

Following the conclusion of Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta met with the media. During the session, DeCosta was asked about possibly picking up 2021 first-round outside linebacker Odafe Oweh’s fifth-year option ahead of his fourth season.

“We’ll probably have an announcement in the next few days, I think,” DeCosta said.

DeCosta was then asked if he had decided on the situation.

“You know what? I learned from [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] never to make a decision until you have to, and that has served me well. I think it’s smart, usually, to act that way,” DeCosta said.

The Ravens selected the athletic Penn State edge rusher with the No. 31 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, using the pick received from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr.  Oweh’s career has been littered with flashes of his immense potential as a pass rusher. Still, the stats have yet to back it up with just 13 sacks through three seasons despite consistently getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

If picked up, Oweh’s fifth-year option would cost $13.3 million next season.

Ravens select Michigan State center Nick Samac with Pick No. 228 in 2024 NFL draft

Ravens select Michigan State center Nick Samac with Pick No. 228 in 2024 NFL draft

Baltimore added more offensive line depth to the roster, selecting former Michigan State center Nick Samac with pick No. 228 in the seventh round.

A team captain for the Spartans, Samac played 50 games in his college career, starting 32.

Samac was an honorable mention All Big-10 selection in 2023, despite fracturing his fibula late in the season.

Ravens select Marshall RB Rasheen Ali with pick No. 165 in 2024 NFL draft

The Baltimore Ravens selected Marshall Rasheen Ali with pick No. 165 overall in the NFL draft

The Ravens may have landed their running back of the future after drafting Marshall running back Rasheen Ali with pick No. 165 overall.

A shifty, and sturdy running back, Ali joins Derrick Henry, Justice Hill, Keaton Mitchell, and Owen Wright on depth chart in Baltimore.

An Ohio native, Ali rushed for 2831 yards and scored 42 total touchdowns during his time with the Thundering Herd.

Ravens select Iowa State CB T.J. Tampa with pick No. 130 overall in 2024 NFL draft

Ravens select Iowa State CB T.J. Tampa with pick No. 130 overall in 2024 NFL draft

The Ravens have added multiple cornerbacks in the NFL draft after selecting Iowa State cornerback T.J. Tampa with pick No. 130 overall.

Mel Kiper Jr. called this “one of the steals of the draft,” Tampa is already familiar with Nate Wiggins after they were roommates at the NFL scouting combine.

Tampa was the sixth-ranked cornerback on Kiper’s final rankings and was the 38th-best prospect overall.

Tampa and Wiggins bring speed, depth, and athleticism to a secondary, with Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens, and Arthur Maulet as the top cornerbacks on the depth chart. Last season, Tampa allowed one touchdown on nearly 400 coverage snaps, and he exits Iowa State with 24 career pass breakups.

30 best players available for Ravens on Day 3 of 2024 NFL Draft

On the first two nights of the 2024 NFL Draft, the teams selected the first 100 prospects over the three rounds. Now it’s time for the remaining four rounds, kicking off on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET in downtown Detroit. Baltimore can draft for the best …

On the first two nights of the 2024 NFL Draft, the teams selected the first 100 prospects over the three rounds. Now it’s time for the remaining four rounds, kicking off on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET in downtown Detroit.

Baltimore can draft for the best available player after landing Nate Wiggins, Adisa Isaac, and Roger Rosengarten

Here are the top 30 players the Ravens could target on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL draft.

Roger Rosengarten expresses excitement about blocking for Lamar Jackson

The Baltimore Ravens landed some much-needed help at offensive tackle in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Washington right tackle Roger Rosengarten. When speaking with the media after the selection, Rosengarten was asked how it …

The Baltimore Ravens landed some much-needed help at offensive tackle in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft by selecting Washington right tackle Roger Rosengarten. When speaking with the media after the selection, Rosengarten was asked how it will feel pass-blocking for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“As soon as I heard [it was] Baltimore, that’s the first thing that came to my mind – blocking for Lamar [Jackson],” Rosengarten said. “[He’s] an elite-level quarterback, an MVP-level quarterback. It’s a dream come true. Baltimore is one of those places where it’s been a historic program for such a long time, and just to hear my name called and have everybody on the staff come [on the phone] and congratulate me, it was such a great feeling.”

The Ravens have a vacancy at the right tackle position after trading away reliable veteran Morgan Moses to the New York Jets this offseason. Rosengarten will have the opportunity to compete with third-year offensive tackle Daniel Faalele for the starting job this season. Rosengarten has experience at left tackle as well so he could also serve as a potential fill-in for Ronnie Stanley if the veteran misses time again this year.

John Harbaugh says Roger Rosengarten will compete for starting RT job; can also play other positions

Following Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, and head coach John Harbaugh spoke with the media. Harbaugh was asked about the team’s second-round pick, Roger Rosengarten, and whether or not he could have a chance to …

Following Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, and head coach John Harbaugh spoke with the media. Harbaugh was asked about the team’s second-round pick, Roger Rosengarten, and whether or not he could have a chance to start immediately at right tackle.

“Oh, yes, absolutely,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, we drafted [Roger Rosengarten] with that idea – that he’ll compete for that. That’s the idea; [that] all these guys will be competing for playing time and opportunities to start. And in his case, right and … We’re going to look at him everywhere. He can play guard, if we needed him to, and he can play left tackle, if we need him to. We’re just going to roll the offensive line out there and let them compete.”

Third-year offensive tackle Daniel Faalele will be Rosengarten’s main competition for the starting right tackle position. The Ravens have openings at both guard spots after losing John Simpson and Kevin Zeitler in free agency. Ben Cleveland and Andrew Vorhees should headline the competition for those spots. The versatile Patrick Mekari has recently served as the primary backup for left tackle Ronnie Stanley, but Rosengarten could compete for that opportunity as well, considering he has prior experience on the left side in college.