In many ways, Odafe Oweh was a much-needed catalyst that turned the LA Chargers' season around in 2025. After back-to-back losses early in the season, Los Angeles traded Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick for Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Oweh did not have a sack in 2026 at the time.
Oweh came in and played like the player the Ravens always knew he could be. He recorded 7.5 sacks in 12 games with the Chargers and stamped it off with a three-sack performance in the AFC Wild Card Round against the New England Patriots. The Chargers went 8-4 in the regular season after trading for Oweh and it earned the edge rusher a $100 million pay day from the Washington Commanders.
Baltimore, meanwhile, missed the playoffs and watched Alohi Gilman walk in free agency. On Saturday, the Ravens finally cashed in on the pick they received in the Oweh trade, taking Clemson running back Adam Randall with the No. 174 pick. While the Ravens needed a running back, it doesn't seem like fans or experts are overly thrilled. Connor Burke of Ebony Bird penned the following, criticizing the Ravens for ignoring a more pressing need:
"After losing Tyler Linderbaum in free agency, the Ravens have done very little to fill that void. Sure, they already have Corey Bullock on the roster, and they made a flurry of under-the-radar signings in Jovaughn Gwyn and Danny Pinter. Each of those guys brings versatility across the interior. However, none have really done anything to prove they’re starting-caliber talent. It’s why almost everyone expected the team to draft a center," Burke writes.
"Looking at the board entering the sixth round, there’s very little center talent there. The run for centers has come and gone. The best available there are probably Indiana’s Pat Coogan and Duke’s Brian Parker, who has been mentioned as a tackle who can possibly make a switch to center at the NFL level."
Chargers are clearly even bigger winners of the Odafe Oweh trade
The dust hasn't fully settled on the Oweh trade, there's still a seventh-round pick that needs to be conveyed to the Chargers next year, but it's pretty clear the Chargers are the winners of the deal.
This is especially true when you factor in the compensatory pick the Chargers will receive in the 2027 NFL Draft as a result of Oweh leaving in free agency. The Chargers are currently projected to receive a third-round pick for Oweh's departure. At the absolute worst, that pick will be a fourth-round pick. Either way, they are getting a selection.
- Chargers received: Odafe Oweh, 2027 seventh-round pick, projected 2027 third-round pick
- Ravens received: Alohi Gilman, Adam Randall
The Ravens, meanwhile, got a safety who left after the season and isn't projected to get them a comp pick, and a running back that it sounds like fans don't even want. That's quite the return for someone who played so well down the stretch that he earned a $100 million contract.
Look, maybe Randall ends up being the next Derrick Henry for the Ravens and it all works out. You can never rule that out. But if any team had the choice between an elite edge rusher and a future third-round pick, or a Day 3 project at running back, they would obviously choose the former.
The Chargers always had the clear edge in the trade because of the price they paid for Oweh. Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft only cemented that.
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