Jesse Minter Addresses Former Ravens LB's Potential Return

When the old Baltimore Ravens coaching staff felt disappointment in outside linebacker Odafe Oweh's play, they decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Chargers almost midway through the season.

Little did they know that their now-head coach, Jesse Minter, would unlock Oweh and make him a great edge rusher while he was the Chargers' defensive coordinator. During the introductory press conference for his new coordinators, Minter was asked how he got Oweh to perform well.

"We created an environment for him that he played with a lot of confidence. Simplified some things we were asking him to do. Allowed him at times to have a little more freedom as a pass rusher."

Could Odafe Oweh return to Baltimore in 2026?

It was a rough start to the 2025 season for Oweh with the Ravens, as he only had 10 tackles, five quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss in his first five games. After he got traded to the Chargers, he ended up racking up 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks in 12 games.

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

Oweh enters the offseason as a free agent and is considered one of the top available edge rushers for teams to sign. Regarding whether the Ravens would consider bringing Oweh back, Minter said he "earned the right to be a free agent," and that the rest would be left to general manager Eric DeCosta and the rest of the front office.

In 2024, Oweh had 10 sacks and is familiar with the Ravens after spending over four years in Baltimore. A big advantage of bringing him back is that he has worked with the new Ravens defensive coordinator, Anthony Weaver, when Weaver coached the defensive line for Baltimore.

Many in the media believe the Ravens will be aggressive at the edge rusher position after the team finished with just 30 sacks in 17 games during the 2025 campaign. Only two NFL teams had fewer sacks than the Ravens, so the pressure is on the coaching staff and the front office to improve the defensive line.

The most popular names for new edge rushers on the Ravens have been Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Hendrickson and Crosby will either force the Ravens to surrender multiple first-round picks or could cost them close to $30 million per year.

Oweh would at least be a cheaper, younger option for the Ravens and would bring back someone who knows the team and the new coaching staff well. It feels like a win-win if DeCosta can sign him.

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