LA Chargers fans were begging their favorite team to make a move after back-to-back ugly losses to the New York Giants and Washington Commanders. General manager Joe Hortiz listened and swung a trade for Baltimore Ravens edge rusher Odafe Oweh.
Los Angeles is trading Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Oweh and the Los Angeles Rams' seventh-round pick in 2027. Gilman, who is in the last year of the two-year contract he signed when Hortiz was hired, is a surprising addition.
Oweh adds immediate pass-rush depth to a room that desperately needs it. The Chargers have struggled to generate pressure on the quarterback with Khalil Mack injured and Oweh will help remedy that concern.
Chargers' Odafe Oweh trade is as smart as it gets
While Gilman was a surprising addition to the trade, the Chargers can certainly live without him. Los Angeles is deep at the safety position with Derwin James, Elijah Molden, Tony Jefferson and rookie R.J. Mickens. If there was one area of the roster to trade from, it's safety.
And the Chargers traded arguably the least popular player of the safety room in the deal. Gilman has had some bright moments, but he also had one of the worst lapses in coverage you'll ever see in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos. That lapse in coverage has become a trend of his play this season.
Oweh comes to the Chargers amid a season that has been good, not great. According to Pro Football Focus, Oweh has generated 12 quarterback pressures to register a pass-rush grade above 70. His run defense hasn't been as effective, but that is easier to absorb than a bad pass rush.
The two years prior, Oweh generated a combined 99 quarterback pressures in 767 pass rush snaps. He recorded 15 sacks in that time frame, although he is yet to record a sack this season.
Oweh is in the last year of his deal and was expendable for a Ravens team that is sitting at 1-4 with Lamar Jackson still on the shelf. While the Ravens are certainly still gunning for a playoff spot, it made sense to trade from an area of depth for future draft capital given the current state of the team.
As for the Chargers, they filled one of the biggest holes they had on defense without giving up much capital. It's as smart of a trade as the Chargers could have made at this point in the season.