Ravens LB David Ojabo Finally Signs Rookie Deal
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo has signed his rookie deal, which ends his training camp holdout.
Ojabo was the last of the 261 players in the 2022 draft that signed his contract.
Baltimore selected Ojabo with the 45th overall pick in the draft. He would have been a top-15 selection if he had not torn his Achilles at his Michigan Pro Day.
While Ojabo might not be ready to play until midseason, he can attend meetings and continue his rehab at the Ravens' facility.
Last season, Ojabo appeared in all 14 games with six starts at outside linebacker in 2021, finishing with 35 tackles, including 12 for loss, 11 sacks, and three pass breakups. He also had eight quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery, and a program-record five forced fumbles.
Ojabo was a second-team All-American selection by the Associated Press.
"Man, again, it’s all scripted," Ojabo said about being drafted by the Ravens. "It’s all part of the plan. I can’t wait to work with him, Coach ‘Mac,' and even Coach Osborn [defensive assistant Ryan Osborn]. He’s the one that really trained me up this last season. So, I really can’t wait to get going.”
Ojabo is not expected to play until midseason.
The Ravens need their young players to boost the pass rush this season and Ojab can be an impact player when he's healthy.
Mike Macdonald was hired as the new defensive coordinator from Michigan where he helped develop Ojabo. Macdonald also hired former Wolverines defensive assistant Ryan Osborn to work with the young playmakers in Baltimore.
"Oz and the rest of our coaches, they deserve a lot of that credit for developing those guys: [Michigan defensive line coach] Shaun Nua, Dylan Roney was our G.A. [graduate assistant] working with the outside ’backers last year," Macdonald said. "But what we saw with ‘Hutch’ [Aidan Hutchinson] was just a really rugged guy who’s a great player, and we kind of tweaked his position a little bit, and he slimmed down, and it ended up being a great role for him.
"With ‘Jabo’ [David Ojabo], he hadn’t played as much, so we just saw a 6-4, 6-5 guy that could fly, and we’re like, ‘Well, why don’t we just get this guy to rush the passer every down?’ And it worked out for us.”
