The Baltimore Ravens are trading edge Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman, a league source confirmed. The Ravens will also receive the Chargers’ fifth-round pick in 2026 as part of the deal, while the Chargers will receive a 2027 seventh-rounder that originally belonged to the Rams.
NFL Network first reported the trade.
Ravens cut ties amid struggling defense
Oweh, a first-round pick by the Ravens in 2021, was coming off a 10-sack season. There were high expectations for him as he entered the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. However, Oweh, like many of the Ravens’ defensive players, has struggled. He has zero sacks in five games, and his snap count has been relatively limited as the Ravens have shown that they don’t trust him as much against the run. Oweh has played just 45 percent of the Ravens’ defensive snaps this season, down 11 percent from last year.
The Ravens exercised Oweh’s option in 2025, worth just over $13 million. He is a pending free agent, and the Ravens gained no traction in extension talks with him this past offseason. It seemed highly unlikely that he would be back, so moving on from him now allows Baltimore to get something for him and creates nearly $8 million of salary cap space for the cash-strapped Ravens.
Still, it leaves a Ravens team that has struggled to get to the quarterback — Baltimore is tied for second-to-last in the league with just six sacks — without one of its most accomplished edge rushers. The Ravens’ current edge rush group includes Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson, Mike Green and David Ojabo, who have combined for just three sacks this season. — Jeff Zrebiec, Ravens beat writer
Chargers address one issue, among others
This trade does not necessarily address the Chargers’ biggest current roster weakness. Their offensive line remains a significant concern given multiple injuries, including to starting tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. It does, however, address a weakness. The move is a sign that general manager Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh are aware of the team’s shortcomings amid a two-game skid — and that they are willing to be aggressive about fixing them.
The Chargers have been playing for the last three-plus games without star edge rusher Khalil Mack, who has been on IR with an elbow injury he suffered in the first quarter of a Week 2 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. And while third-year edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu has made a jump, particularly as a pass rusher, the Chargers do not have enough opposite him and behind him on the depth chart.
Tuipulotu has 27 pressures this season. No other player has more than eight, and no other edge rusher has more than seven. At this stage of his career, Bud Dupree is a serviceable third edge rusher, but he has not proven capable of filling the hole Mack left. And rookie fourth-round pick Kyle Kennard has not been able to earn snaps, even with the glaring need at his position. — Daniel Popper, Chargers beat writer
What will Gilman bring to Baltimore?
Gilman, coupled with Tuesday’s practice squad signing of veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, gives the Ravens more flexibility in a banged-up secondary that is currently without cornerback Marlon Humphrey, who is Baltimore’s top option in the slot, and All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. Humphrey (calf) is expected to be out through Baltimore’s Week 7 bye, and the status of Hamilton, who missed Sunday’s blowout loss to the Houston Texans, is unclear for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
If Hamilton is healthy, the addition of Gilman and Gardner-Johnson would give the Ravens plenty of flexibility to move Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage and help out Baltimore’s struggling pass rush and run defense. — Zrebiec
How can Oweh help Chargers?
Oweh is young and has been productive in his career, including a 10-sack season in 2024. And, importantly, Oweh will have familiarity with the scheme, given Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter cut his teeth as an NFL assistant with the Ravens from 2017-20. Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr was an assistant alongside Minter in Baltimore over the same years, and the two play-callers run a variation of the same system.
The Chargers had to offer something valuable in return for a productive edge rusher in his prime, and Alohi Gilman is an instinctive and high-IQ safety who has proven to fit this scheme. The Chargers had a surplus at safety, even with Derwin James Jr. playing less at that position and more often at nickel and dime backer.
The Chargers re-signed Elijah Molden, who missed two games earlier this season due to a hamstring injury, this past offseason, and have veteran Tony Jefferson on the active roster. While Molden was out, Gilman and Jefferson were at safety when James was aligned at nickel and dime backer. Jefferson had two passes defended, including an interception, over those two games. Once Molden returned for a Week 4 loss to the New York Giants, the Chargers rotated Gilman, Molden and Jefferson at safety. Using a surplus to fill a hole is a good strategy. — Popper
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