Rookie outside linebacker David Ojabo made his NFL debut for the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday in their Week 15 loss to the Cleveland Browns. While he may not have made the biggest impact on the stat sheet, fans of the team are sure to warm up to his undeniable talent in the coming weeks as he hopefully gets more run with the defense.
Ojabo was a second-round pick by the Ravens in the 2022 draft, selected with the 45th overall pick. However, it weren’t for an Achilles injury sustained during his Pro Day at the University of Michigan, he likely would’ve gone much sooner.
Head coach John Harbaugh addressed the media on Monday about the situation that led to Ojabo playing in Sunday’s tilt against Cleveland, and said that he and his staff intend to get him more snaps over the course of the next few weeks. He made it clear that Baltimore’s depth at the outside linebacker position made it hard to justify Ojabo’s inclusion beyond the single snap he played.
“It was circumstances, in terms of having one less DB [defensive back] available for the game, and we had an opportunity to get him [David Ojabo] up,” Harbaugh explained when asked about the rookie’s debut. “Then, the next opportunity is to try to play him more. And I was hoping he’d get five, six, seven plays. We’ve got a lot of healthy outside linebackers right now, so it’s hard to get those guys enough snaps. Our discussion among those guys right now is, ‘We’ve got a lot of really good players; when you get out there, play with your hair on fire,’ which those guys want to do. And I think David Ojabo adds into that mix. So, it does mean, if he takes more snaps, it’s fewer snaps for other guys; that’s just the way it works, because they all play the same position. And the incredible thing is look at the difference between early in the year when we didn’t have any outside backers, and I think when ‘JPP’ [Jason Pierre-Paul] got here, he played 53 snaps his first game or something like that. So, it’s a good problem, but it’s challenging, because there are going to be guys that aren’t going to get as many snaps [and] you might say, ‘Wow, he could use some more snaps; we’d like to see him.’ And definitely, David falls in that category.”
Though the first glimpse at their newest defensive contributor was limited, the speculation among Ravens fans surrounding Ojabo’s role in the team’s defense is starting to pick up steam. He was one of the most highly coveted prospects in this year’s draft class, and for good reason, so it isn’t a stretch to think that he could be an impact player in Baltimore for years to come.
For now, though, the Baltimore faithful will need to wait until Harbaugh and his staff decide that the time is right for Ojabo to be included in more key situations.
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