OWINGS MILLS, Md. — After two seasons of NFL experience, Odafe Oweh is ready to make the most of his football talents.
He went one-on-one with WMAR-2 Sports Reporter Shawn Stepner following Tuesday's 'organized team activity' practice.
"How are you viewing year three in your career?," asked Stepner.
"Year two was a year of self improvement and seeing what I needed to work on. So, this year is just stacking on that and trying to be everything I know I can be," said the Ravens outside linebacker. "There are a lot of things that I left on the table that I know that I can get this year."
Oweh's sack numbers dipped from five during his rookie 2021 season, to three in 2022. The quarterback hits went from 15 to 11. Expect some tweaks and changes to his pass rush approach.
What kind of improvements does he want to make to his game going into next season?
"Just finishing plays. A lot of plays were left on the table, a lot of sacks and stuff like that. Then being more sure about my moves at the top of my rush and everything and completing them, ripping like [outside linebackers] coach Chuck Smith says, ‘rip’," said Oweh.
Smith is the Ravens’ new outside linebackers coach. He has big plans for his new pupil.
"The first thing you want to do is teach him to understand that if you use moves, you’ll have success. The best players in the NFL who use moves have success," said Smith. "After this year, when you see Odafe, you’re going to know his signature pass rush move."
Oweh wants to develop it alongside teammate and good friend, outside linebacker David Ojabo. The pair is always together on the practice field. They have been buddies since playing together in high school. Ojabo was limited to just two games during his rookie 2022 season after recovering from an Achilles injury. Now they are getting ready for their first full season as a duo in purple.
"He has been there along the way. I’ve been there along the way. Since we’ve been here we’ve just been trying to compete with each other and continue to get each other better," said Oweh. "So, I can’t wait to see what we can do out there."
Neither can fans.
Follow Shawn Stepner on Twitter @StepnerWMAR and Facebook
