Odafe Oweh, Lamar Jackson Comically Differ On Training Camp Sacks
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OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens outside linebacker Odafe Oweh estimated he gets multiple sacks per practice at training camp.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson begs to differ, saying he would have escaped being tackled.
The two players will have to agree to disagree.
"Every practice, I’ll be like, ‘I got three, two,’ all that stuff, but then [head coach John] Harbaugh [is] like, ‘I don’t think you got this one, or Lamar would be like, ‘Yeah, I don’t think you got this one,’ but I got those ones; I got it," Oweh said.
In fact, Jackson never admits to being sacked in practice.
“No. He always says, ‘I’ll juke you,’ all that stuff, but ‘I got you, bro,’ so it’s cool," Oweh said.
Oweh played through a shoulder injury for much of last season. He underwent offseason surgery and the result has been impressive.
"I’m always still learning," Oweh said. "[Justin Houston] is still the ‘O.G.’ in the room, and we brought in a bunch of young guys, as well. So, we’re all just learning, trying to pick up from each other’s brains. A lot of guys … There’s probably, I want to say, three guys that played here [last year] in the room, so we’re all just picking each other’s brains, trying to find something new.
"But I’m still a young guy. I’m still a rookie, actually – three games in, then I’ll be out, [and] we’ll be good.”
Oweh finished second on the Ravens with five sacks, along with 15 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles last season. He also had five turnovers caused by pressure in 2021, which was tied for the most in the NFL, according to Next Generation Stats.
He is poised to take the next step in his second year.
“You’re constantly building, and the answer is again, just reading his keys, trusting what he’s looking at and hitting it over, and over and over again so he can play fast," outside linebackers coach Rob Ryan said. "And, trust his instincts. I talk with Odafe [Oweh] a lot about matching his upper-body violence with the violence of his legs.
"He has God-given ability to run, and he can take off. So, working his hands and all of those types of things is a big part of his progression.”
