It's hard to remember now, but when the Baltimore Ravens drafted David Ojabo in the second-round of the 2022 draft, expectations were high. He battled injuries for most of his first two seasons, most notably suffering a torn Achilles shortly before being drafted and an ACL injury in 2023.
Unfortunately, when Ojabo has been healthy, his production has been overwhelming, and it's clear he doesn't have the same explosiveness as he did in college. As the 25-year-old linebacker enters free agency this summer, a return to Baltimore seems unlikely after a disappointing season for both him and the team.
With the offseason officially starting, the Ravens will have many difficult decisions to make, but moving on from Ojabo shouldn't be a tough call.
This appears to be the end of Ojabo's underwhelming tenure with the Ravens
In his four seasons with the Ravens, Ojabo has earned one start, recording just 18 solo tackles and 4.5 sacks. Ojabo hit a low point this season as he failed to earn many meaningful snaps in a disastrous season for the Ravens' pass rush. He recorded just seven solo tackles and half a sack in just 196 snaps this season. Given how poorly the Ravens' defense played this season, it's a massive red flag that the Michigan product barely saw the field.
Parting ways is in the best interest of both sides. For the Ravens, they can move on from a draft miss, while Ojabo could try to rejuvenate his career with a change of scenery. Despite Ojabo's subpar production, it wouldn't be surprising if a team took a swing at him, given his possible upside.
Frankly, though, there's no reason for the Ravens to bring Ojabo back, given their other free agents and his limited role. The Ravens have three starting defensive players who are free agents, Dre'Mont Jones, Kyle Van Noy, and Alohi Gilman, all of whom will be prioritized over Ojabo.
Moreover, with how poorly the Ravens' pass rush performed this season, it's fair to expect that they'll at least pursue some star talent in either free agency or in the trade market. While Ojabo's new contract wouldn't be sizable, opening up as much cap space as possible would be ideal for the Ravens to land a truly game-changing defensive player.
The bigger picture, though, is that the Ravens should and likely will move on from Ojabo this offseason. Ultimately, after such an underwhelming season, changes are inevitable for the Ravens, and moving on from Ojabo feels like a certainty.