While it was an understandable choice, the Los Angeles Chargers suffered a major blow when they lost Odafe Oweh in free agency.
Oweh signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Commanders. With Tuli Tuipulotu's extension needing to be hammered out this offseason, there was never a real chance the Chargers were going to match that offer.
But Oweh, after his arrival through a mid-season trade with the Baltimore Ravens, became a hugely important contributor for the Los Angeles defense. When Khalil Mack was out with his arm injury, Oweh helped fill that gap. But he was most effective when Mack returned, playing off the power of both of the team's primary edge rushers to disrupt opposing offenses on a game-to-game basis.
With him out of the building, the Chargers now have very little depth behind Mack and Tuipulotu. They need to add a genuine third option at the position this offseason.
Matt Miller at ESPN recently reported that Gabe Jacas, an edge rusher out of Illinois, has been identified as a potential target for their second-round selection. Jacas' pure pass-rush abilities and his overall match for Oweh's skill-set makes him a perfect fit to fill that hole.
Gabe Jacas' similarities to Odafe Oweh make him the perfect second-round target
After going sackless through five games with Baltimore in 2025, things turned around for Oweh when he arrived in Los Angeles. Through his final 12 games of the season, Oweh posted 7.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 13 QB hits. He benefitted greatly from the attention that was paid to Mack and Tuipulotu.
Jacas would quickly be able to do the same. Although his pass-rush mechanics need refinement, he has the raw power and workhorse mentality to work his way through inferior tackles. Per Pro Football Focus, he posted a pass-rush grade of 88.0 in 2025— good for the 38th-best mark among the 852 qualified college edge rushers. He posted 11 sacks through 12 games in his final season at Illinois.
Oweh and Jacas also profile similarly on a physical level. Oweh measures in at 6'5" and 257 lbs. Jacas, while slightly more compact at 6'4", measures in at 260 lbs, with the frame and the strength to match Oweh's power at the point of contact.
Jacas has his deficiencies as a run defender. He finished with a run-defense grade of just 64.3 in 2025, per PFF. Oweh, for his part, had many of those same struggles in 2025, but having Mack (and, to an extent, Tuipulotu) in the fold allowed the Chargers to mitigate some of his pitfalls.
If Oweh's breakout proves to be truly sustainable, it will be difficult to replace his production. But if the Chargers are able to select an edge rusher who can bring the same power and complementary skill-set that Oweh brought last season, that would be a major victory.