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New head coach Jesse Minter is tipped to reunite the Baltimore Ravens with an edge-rusher in 2026 NFL free agency.
Hiring Jesse Minter to replace John Harbaugh as head coach showed the Baltimore Ravens are determined to restore their identity as one of the NFL’s toughest defensive teams. An identity Minter can revive by reuniting the Ravens with one of the more high-profile draft flops of the Harbaugh era, a free agent edge-rusher who revitalized his career with Minter and the Los Angeles Chargers in 2025.
The decision to trade Odafe Oweh to the AFC West last October signalled the Ravens had finally given up on the player they drafted 31st overall in 2021. Yet where Harbaugh and his staff had failed, Minter knew what it took to unlock Oweh’s obvious potential.
Oweh responded with 7.5 sacks in just 12 games. That impressive run is one reason why Greg Auman of Fox Sports believes “one potential suitor would be the Ravens, who now have Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.”
Although Auman also referenced the Chargers boasting salary cap space worth “close to $100 million,” and threw in the Tennessee Titans as another possible suitor, he ultimately predicted Oweh will return to M&T Bank Stadium.
It’s an interesting scenario, given the Ravens’ pressing need for more game-wrecking talent among their edge-rushers. Oweh would provide it, and he knows Minter’s system, but the new coach has inherited some more intriguing options, including one the Ravens should prevent from testing the veteran market.
Jesse Minter Unlocked Odafe Oweh’s Potential
Oweh’s chances of earning a big payday were boosted by how Minter unlocked his potential to dominate. Everything finally clicked for Oweh once he joined the Bolts, with the player at last combining speed and power and turning the potent mix into tangible production.
He couldn’t finish plays often enough in a Ravens uniform, but Oweh posted sacks immediately for the Chargers. Like when he took down quarterback Tua Tagovailoa against the Miami Dolphins in Week 6.
Oweh improved his technique thanks to Minter’s tutelage. Specifically, his use of hands, highlighted here by Aaron Day of DLineVids, who praised “a tight cross chop/club” to create a sack against the Minnesota Vikings.
The momentum from plays like these continued into the playoffs, when Oweh sacked Drake Maye three times against the New England Patriots in the wild-card round.
Whatever Minter did for Oweh it worked, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Ravens need to reunite with one of their more disappointing first-rounders. Not when Minter can do the same for a young edge-rusher already on the roster.
Ravens Need Career Transformation for 2 Edge-Rushers
Minter’s expertise should help last season’s second-round pick Mike Green accelerate his own career transformation. College football’s sack leader in 2024 registered a mere 3.5 QB takedowns during his debut season in the NFL, but Green has the upside to deliver much more.
There should also be more to come from veteran Dre’Mont Jones. He impressed as Oweh’s replacement, and Jones’ versatility will also be invaluable in Minter and new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver’s schemes.
Jones is a free agent general manager Eric DeCosta ought to bring back. Pairing him with Green can create the disruptive double act a sack-shy defense needs if the Ravens are going to apply more pressure this year.
James Dudko covers the New York Giants, Washington Commanders, New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens for Heavy.com. He has covered the NFL and world soccer since 2011, with bylines at FanSided, Prime Time Sports Talk and Bleacher Report before joining Heavy in 2021. More about James Dudko
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