This offseason, the Baltimore Ravens’ biggest priority is finding the right pass rusher to work alongside Mike Green and better pressure the quarterback.
Last season, the Ravens recorded 30 sacks in 17 games, tying for the fewest with two other teams. Their top pass rushers, Dre’Mont Jones and Kyle Van Noy, are free agents, leaving the team with a ton of questions to address at the position.
Some of the most popular names linked to the Ravens in rumors have been Trey Hendrickson and Maxx Crosby. There is one other name Baltimore fans will know well that they might want to consider signing.
Ravens should bring back familiar face off the edge
Pro Football Focus writer Mason Cameron looked at the top edge rushers in free agency and named where each of their top landing spots would be. Cameron likes Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh to return to Baltimore for a second chance with the Ravens.
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Odafe Oweh | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“After being traded to the Los Angeles Chargers during the season, Oweh may find the perfect opportunity to return to Baltimore this offseason. Under former Chargers defensive coordinator and new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter, Oweh racked up 11 sacks off a 17% pass-rush win rate — a mark that stands inside the top 12 among qualifying edge rushers — from Week 6 through the end of the season.”
“Despite some animosity toward his former team following the trade, Oweh will now have the opportunity to return to the franchise that drafted him under the tutelage of a new coaching staff that is not only headlined by Minter, but also includes defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, Oweh’s former defensive line coach.”
Oweh would be a stunner to come back after the way he was traded in the middle of the season. While it seems like a wild idea, it does make some sense for him to play in Baltimore again.
The Minter-Weaver connection is too good to pass up, as he played well under both coaches. With a whole new coaching staff, there might not be as much bad blood from Oweh as he would have with former head coach John Harbaugh and his staff.
While Oweh would make a good starter, it doesn’t address the Ravens’ need for an elite pass rusher. Green is not quite ready to leap a main starter, so targeting Hendrickson or Crosby is still the number one play for the Ravens.