The Baltimore Ravens have granted outside linebacker David Ojabo an international roster exemption, opening up a spot for an extra player this offseason.
Ravens were also granted international roster exemption for OLB David Ojabo. This allows Ravens to carry 91 players. Each team is eligible for international roster exemption. Since Ravens have international player on roster, this opens up a spot for them to sign another player
— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) May 2, 2024
According to NFL.com, “a qualifying international player is a person whose citizenship and principal place of residence are outside the United States and Canada, and who have a maximum of two years of United States high school experience.”
Ojabo, a 2022 second-round pick out of Michigan by the Ravens, was born in Nigeria but moved to Scotland in 2007. At the age of 17, he moved to the United States and initially played basketball at Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey. Soon after, he switched to football and became teammates with Baltimore outside linebacker Odafe Oweh.
Ojabo played college at the University of Michigan under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Ojabo decided to enter the 2022 NFL Draft, forgoing his senior season, and was projected by many as a first-round pick before tearing his Achilles at Michigan’s Pro Day.
The Ravens decided to take a chance on the uber-athletic pass rusher in the second round, reuniting Ojabo with his college play-caller, Mike Macdonald, in his first year as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator. Ojabo missed most of his rookie season with a torn Achilles but was able to notch a strip sack in the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ojabo had another strip-sack in Week 1 to start his second season against the Houston Texans. On September 30, He was placed on injured reserve and would not return to action with what was later revealed by head coach John Harbaugh to be a partially torn ACL.
Ojabo now enters a pivotal third season in the NFL, and while he will not count against a roster spot for now, he will still count on the 53-man roster once the season starts.