Odafe Oweh's 'Untapped Upside' Is Why Chargers Need To Fend Off Ravens In Free Agency

There's two major decisions the Los Angeles Chargers have to make once free agency opens next week and it starts on defense. Technically, they can negotiate with their own free agents right now. Pass rushers Odafe Oweh and Khalil Mack are set to hit the market, becoming two of the Chargers' biggest free agents.

Mack, despite his age, plans to play in 2026 for a 13th season. As for Oweh, his situation is slightly different from Mack's. While the future Hall of Famer will more than likely receive a one-year deal, Oweh is headed towards a big payday due to his stellar 2025 campaign.

Once arriving in Los Angeles in October via trade, Oweh exploded onto the scene with 7.5 sacks after recording none in the previous 5 games with Baltimore. He also earned himself some more money with a 3-sack performance in the Chargers' Wild Card loss to the New England Patriots.

It appears that Oweh will test the market to see who will be the highest bidder. The Chargers cannot afford to lose what seems to be a player who hasn't hit his ceiling yet. They especially can't lose him to the Ravens, where they acquired him from.

Chargers can't lose Odafe Oweh to Ravens in free agency

Los Angeles linebacker Odafe Oweh celebrates. — Odafe Oweh | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bill Barnwell of ESPN ranked the top defensive players heading into free agency, placing them into different tiers. Oweh and Mack were placed in the third tier, which was labeled 'capable starters.' The projected average annual salary for these players are between $15 million - $23 million.

When discussing Oweh, Barnwell brought up the possibility of him heading back to the AFC North. "Oweh kick-started a disappointing contract year with a midseason move to the Chargers, as all of his 7.5 sacks came after he was traded from the Ravens," Barnwell said. "Ironically enough, a move back to Baltimore would make sense, as the Ravens need an impact player on the edge. And the coach who helped turn things around for Oweh in Los Angeles was defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, who is now the head coach in Baltimore."

"Of those previously mentioned pass rushers with 1,000 attempts over the past three years, Oweh ranks fifth in quarterback pressure probability over expected (QBPOE), a metric that uses the NFL Next Gen Stats model to estimate how likely a pass rusher is to create a pressure on a given snap. There could still be some untapped upside here."

Oweh's 10-sack season in 2024 was the only double-digit campaign of his career so far. If he landed with the Chargers earlier, he certainly could've notched another one under his belt. Barnwell brought up a scary point that Oweh could reunite with Jesse Minter in Baltimore, the system he flourished in once he arrived in LA.

Spotrac has Oweh's projected contract at three years, $57,972,261. If the Chargers get into a bidding war for Oweh, they need to make sure he ends up back in LA.