The Baltimore Ravens' pass rush unit had great production in 2024, but it was also full of inconsistencies. They finished second in the league in sacks with 54, but they were also 29th in pass rush win rate.
The group looks to be revitalized this year, though. Kyle Van Noy should continue to feast in the backfield, and Odafe Oweh added 20 pounds of muscle over the offseason, which should translate into high-level play. Throw in highly touted second-round rookie Mike Green, and the Ravens’ defense should dominate passing situations down-to-down.
Baltimore also has a few young outside linebackers with potential who have been waiting to break out. College standouts David Ojabo and Adisa Isaac have elite traits, but have been unable to showcase them due to injuries. 2023 undrafted free agent Malik Hamm has also failed to stay on the field, landing on injured reserve in 2023 and 2024. However, with the addition of Green in the 2025 NFL Draft, there are very few openings on the depth chart.
The Ravens had five outside linebackers make the initial 53-man roster in 2024. Van Noy, Oweh, Green, and Tavius Robinson are seemingly guaranteed spots on the roster once the 2025 regular season opens up. If they keep the number as they did last year, there is just one spot up for grabs. Ojabo, Isaac, and Hamm are left duking it out for that spot.
3 players are battling for the final spot in the pass rush room
David Ojabo
Ojabo might be the most disappointing draft pick in recent memory. The former Michigan Wolverine had loads of potential, but an Achilles tear during his Pro Day has impacted his career. He seems to have lost that explosive first step and is left scrambling to get his football career back on the right track.
In three seasons, Ojabo has only played 18 games. 2024 was the first year he played the majority of the season, appearing in 13 contests. Still, he was ineffective. He tallied two sacks and earned an overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 55.1 by the year’s end. He has flashed, but has yet to put it together for a long stretch.
Ojabo has the draft pedigree over Isaac and Hamm, but is running out of time to prove himself to coaches. He must show them consistency in training camp to win the final job.
Adisa Isaac
The injury bug bit Isaac hard last season with a litany of lower-body issues. The former Penn State Nittany Lion was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but only played four games. Each time he seemed ready to return to the field, hamstring and leg injuries kept that from happening.
He played just 32 snaps in 2024, and in those snaps, he was a non-factor as a pass rusher, but did show potential as a run stuffer. He registered four total tackles, including one tackle for loss. His 73.0 PFF run defense grade in limited action was good for 24th out of 211 edge defenders.
Isaac is in a similar boat to Ojabo, with little film showing him at full health for coaches to see. It makes training camp crucial for the 23-year-old. Cutting a third-round pick in the second season of his NFL career is unlikely, but with the crowded room, it could be possible.
Malik Hamm
Hamm is the wild card. Although he entered the league in 2023, he has not played a regular-season game in Charm City. He did enough in preseason action to secure a roster spot and stay with the team through health troubles, but those troubles have unfairly kept him out of regular-season action.
The Baltimore native was a game-wrecker at Lafayette from the get-go. He finished his collegiate career breaking the college’s sack record with 32, notching a season-high 8.5 in his freshman and senior seasons. He has a knack for getting to the quarterback, but has not had the chance to show it.
Hamm is the likeliest cut candidate of the three, but there is a reason he is still a Raven. The coaches have not given up on the 24-year-old even as a former undrafted free agent. It will be an uphill climb, but do not rule out the possibility that he makes a run for the final job.
Baltimore could keep six pass rushers. You can never have too many players coming off the edge. However, in the scenario they keep five players at the position, guys like Ojabo and Isaac could be trade candidates and net general manager Eric DeCosta a draft pick or two. As for Hamm, it will be a make-or-break training camp heading into preseason.