The Baltimore Ravens needed to add a third safety to unlock Kyle Hamilton’s versatility, and the Los Angeles Chargers needed to add an impactful edge rusher. Neither Odafe Oweh nor Alohi Gilman were thriving with their respective teams, so Eric DeCosta and his former assistant GM Joe Hortiz struck a deal.
Chargers receive: Odafe Oweh, 2027 seventh-round pick
Ravens receive: Alohi Gilman, 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 162)
It is worth noting that both were pending free agents, so their new teams would receive the resulting compensatory pick if they left in the offseason. The Chargers are set for a third-rounder in 2027 as a result of Oweh’s $100MM contract with the Commanders (via OverTheCap’s Nick Korte), and the Ravens’ potential sixth-rounder for Gilman was canceled out by their signing of John Simpson.
The Ravens selected Duke cornerback Chandler Rivers with the 162nd pick.
Gilman himself was not an impact player in Baltimore. He did not excel in any one particular area and struggled with occasional missed tackles. However, he could confidently line up in two-high shells with Malaki Starks, which allowed Hamilton to make plays all around the defense. That was a key part of the Ravens’ midseason defensive rebound, though the All-Pro safety was not enough to carry the unit through the end of the season.
Gilman’s contributions earned him a three-year, $24 million deal with the Chiefs, where he will likely occupy a similar role to the one he did in Baltimore.
After zero sacks and just one tackle for loss in his first five games in Baltimore, Oweh turned a corner in Los Angeles, under, ironically enough, then-Chargers defensive coordinator and new Ravens head coach Jesse Minter. He racked up 7.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss across 12 games and looked like a freer player while doing it. In free agency, the Commanders came calling with a $25 million APY, the fourth-highest among free agents signing with new teams.
The Chargers will have to wait until 2027 for both the pick from the Ravens and the compensatory pick from Oweh signing in Washington.