The Baltimore Ravens could see rookie David Ojabo play his first NFL game as early as this year, which would provide a huge boost to the pass-rush.
Ojabo doesn’t have an exact date for his return, but he’s spoken about how well his rehab has been going in the past and said back in May that he expects to be on the field as soon as October.
The former Michigan product tore his Achilles at his pro day, causing his draft stock to dip and allowing Baltimore to pick him up at No. 45 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Given the severity of the injury, it seems unlikely that Ojabo will suit up for games two months from now, but Ojabo could feasibly be game-ready by the middle or backend of the season.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh recently shared some conversations between him and Ojabo and seemed eager about Ojabo’s highly anticipated debut.
John Harbaugh on David Ojabo
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) August 10, 2022
“He swears he’s gonna be back midseason at the latest..he’s walking around now he’s starting to move I said alright time to get in the weight room we gotta get rid of those beach legs and get some football legs back under you”pic.twitter.com/pp0x4goujY
Ravens are already preparing for David Ojabo’s exciting debut in 2022
We previously wrote about how Baltimore’s pass-rush should be set for 2023 and beyond with a projected starting duo of Odafe Oweh and Ojabo. Could we get our first glimpse of the two this year?
Oweh himself faces a steep challenge in his second season after fizzling out toward the end of his rookie campaign. Oweh started two games and recorded five sacks in 2021, and the buoying hope is that he can refine his pass-rushing skills and become more of a reliable starter at the position.
As for Ojabo, Baltimore will no doubt make sure he recovers to full strength before putting him on the field.
It appears as though Harbaugh is happy with Ojabo’s progress so far and will want to see him bulk up to adapt to the physicality of the NFL — it’s too early to call, but the prognosis sounds like Ojabo is on track to play for the Ravens at some point within the next few months.
Heading into 2022, Oweh and Tyus Bowser will most likely start as the primary pass-rushers for the team with Justin Houston, Daelin Hayes, and a few others rotating in.
The general vibe surrounding Ojabo seems positive for the most part as everyone at Ravens camp awaits his swift and full recovery.