Ravens’ Oweh Strong So Far In Debut Season

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OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Odafe Oweh has already shown he’s acceptable for the large stage.

The Baltimore rookie had a sack successful his precise archetypal NFL game. Then the pursuing weekend, helium forced a precocious fumble — and recovered it — to prevention the Ravens in a victory over Kansas City.

He had different sack past week successful a triumph implicit Denver, and present the first-round draught prime from Penn State is mounting his sights connected the Ravens’ adjacent challenge, Monday night’s crippled against Indianapolis.

“I deliberation I’ve adjusted beauteous good for a rookie,” Oweh said. “Obviously, I tin get better, successful presumption of speechmaking everything and playing a small spot faster, but I consciousness similar my athleticism helps maine successful a batch of spaces, wherever a batch of different rookies would conflict — worldly similar that. But there’s ever country for improvement, and I’m going to get amended arsenic the games spell by.”

The Ravens had 2 first-round picks this year: Oweh and receiver Rashod Bateman. Baltimore is inactive waiting for Bateman to marque his debut. He’s been retired with groin problems.

Oweh was brought successful to assistance Baltimore’s walk unreserved aft the Ravens mislaid Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Jihad Ward to escaped agency. Oweh did not person a sack during Penn State’s truncated 2020 season, but helium had 7 successful his archetypal 2 seasons with the Nittany Lions and already has a mates for Baltimore.

“I ever conscionable archer him to enactment humble and proceed to work,” Ravens linebacker Justin Houston said. “The entity is the bounds for that kid.”

In Baltimore’s triumph astatine Denver past week, Oweh knocked backmost Teddy Bridgewater out of the game with a hit.

“It’s a hard-hitting game, but I had nary sick intent connected trying to sound him retired of the crippled oregon effort to marque definite helium wasn’t playing shot for the remainder of the game,” Oweh said. “There was nary sick intent, but our mentality is fundamentally to effort to beryllium the Ravens’ defence — bring physicality — and bash everything that we’ve got to bash safely, nary penalties, and conscionable effort to play hard-hitting football.”

Pro Football Focus ranks Oweh 23rd successful the NFL among borderline defenders, 1 spot down chap rookie — and erstwhile Penn State teammate — Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys. Also successful that scope astatine No. 28 is different rookie from the Big Ten, Kwity Paye of the Colts. Paye, a first-round prime retired of Michigan, has been ruled retired of this crippled against Oweh and the Ravens due to the fact that of a hamstring injury.

Interestingly, Oweh’s PFF ranking is overmuch higher — 4th among borderline defenders — against the run. He says it’s important to him to beryllium an every-down player.

“That’s my goal,” helium said. “Since freshman year, erstwhile they were trying to marque maine a pass-rush specialist, I hatred that. I don’t similar doing that. So, I effort to marque definite I’m bully successful each phase.”

Oweh has surely had a accidental to amusement disconnected for a nationalist audience. Baltimore’s archetypal 2 games this play were connected a Monday nighttime and a Sunday night, and present the Ravens are backmost connected Monday nighttime against the Colts.

Not that Oweh seems overly acrophobic with attention.

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“I deliberation he’s a humble kid, that’s conscionable moving hard and trying to get amended each day, and I deliberation that’s 1 of his champion traits that helium has,” Ravens antiaircraft coordinator Don Martindale said. “So, we’re looking guardant to each Sunday, oregon successful this case, Monday night, to spot what comes next. But he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do, and he’s reaping rewards (for) executing defenses and walk rushes and everything else. It’s been awesome.”

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