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"It just made the most sense."
That's what new Commanders' edge rusher Odafe Oweh expressed in summing up why he decided to sign with Washington. What might be some of the other reasons why Oweh decided to become a Washington Commander? He also conveyed, "It's close to everything I've come to know growing up. I grew up in Jersey, went to high school in Jersey, went to Penn State. Obviously, my first five years in the NFL were in Baltimore, and I'm familiar with the area. My sister is here, so it just made the most sense."
Indeed, five years ago, in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Ravens, selecting 31st, determined Oweh was their guy. In that first season, Oweh only started two games, but he did see enough action that he got in on 33 tackles (23 solo, 10 assists), 15 QB hits, five tackles for a loss, and five QB sacks.
2024 was his most successful season at getting to the quarterback, as Oweh collected 10 sacks and 23 QB hits, both career highs. However, in 2025, he struggled with the Ravens in his first five games, recording zero sacks and one tackle for loss. So the Ravens traded Oweh to the Chargers. In his 12 games with the Chargers, Oweh achieved 7.5 QB sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and an additional 13 QB hits.
He was phenomenal in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Patriots, sacking Drake Maye three times and forcing two fumbles.
Interestingly, having become a free agent this offseason, Oweh did not have a conversation with either head coach Dan Quinn, GM Adam Peters, or defensive coordinator Daronte Jones when he was looking for a team. He stated he left it entirely up to his agent to find a good fit for his skills. After agreeing to a deal with Washington, he did speak with them, stating, "They really let me know how they see me fitting in this defense, being able to find those one-on-one matchups and being able to target those and play fast. They let me know they were going to allow me to do that (play fast and up the field). I just want to get after the passer and produce, and make big plays for my team."
Washington has not had a top-tier pass rusher on the outside since Ryan Kerrigan (2011-2020), when he collected 95.5 sacks with an additional 147 QB hits. Washington thought they might have a spectacular outside duo of first-round picks in Montez Sweat and Chase Young. But that never materialized, so both were traded during the 2023 season. Providing defensive pressure on the quarterback is without question why Oweh was signed, as the 2025 Commanders gave up the most yards of any defense in the NFL.
What does Oweh want the Commanders' fan base to know about himself? "That I'm going to give it my all. I've been like that since I got in the league. I'm going to continue to strive to get better and give it my all every snap. Every offseason, I will hone in on something I can do better from the past season. In the crunch moments that we need a play, that's when I am trying to do something. I train for that. I am someone that's just trying to get better, to continue to excel and just help the team win."
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Odafe Oweh breaks down his free agency choice
Continue reading...
That's what new Commanders' edge rusher Odafe Oweh expressed in summing up why he decided to sign with Washington. What might be some of the other reasons why Oweh decided to become a Washington Commander? He also conveyed, "It's close to everything I've come to know growing up. I grew up in Jersey, went to high school in Jersey, went to Penn State. Obviously, my first five years in the NFL were in Baltimore, and I'm familiar with the area. My sister is here, so it just made the most sense."
Indeed, five years ago, in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Ravens, selecting 31st, determined Oweh was their guy. In that first season, Oweh only started two games, but he did see enough action that he got in on 33 tackles (23 solo, 10 assists), 15 QB hits, five tackles for a loss, and five QB sacks.
2024 was his most successful season at getting to the quarterback, as Oweh collected 10 sacks and 23 QB hits, both career highs. However, in 2025, he struggled with the Ravens in his first five games, recording zero sacks and one tackle for loss. So the Ravens traded Oweh to the Chargers. In his 12 games with the Chargers, Oweh achieved 7.5 QB sacks, eight tackles for a loss, and an additional 13 QB hits.
He was phenomenal in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Patriots, sacking Drake Maye three times and forcing two fumbles.
Interestingly, having become a free agent this offseason, Oweh did not have a conversation with either head coach Dan Quinn, GM Adam Peters, or defensive coordinator Daronte Jones when he was looking for a team. He stated he left it entirely up to his agent to find a good fit for his skills. After agreeing to a deal with Washington, he did speak with them, stating, "They really let me know how they see me fitting in this defense, being able to find those one-on-one matchups and being able to target those and play fast. They let me know they were going to allow me to do that (play fast and up the field). I just want to get after the passer and produce, and make big plays for my team."
Washington has not had a top-tier pass rusher on the outside since Ryan Kerrigan (2011-2020), when he collected 95.5 sacks with an additional 147 QB hits. Washington thought they might have a spectacular outside duo of first-round picks in Montez Sweat and Chase Young. But that never materialized, so both were traded during the 2023 season. Providing defensive pressure on the quarterback is without question why Oweh was signed, as the 2025 Commanders gave up the most yards of any defense in the NFL.
What does Oweh want the Commanders' fan base to know about himself? "That I'm going to give it my all. I've been like that since I got in the league. I'm going to continue to strive to get better and give it my all every snap. Every offseason, I will hone in on something I can do better from the past season. In the crunch moments that we need a play, that's when I am trying to do something. I train for that. I am someone that's just trying to get better, to continue to excel and just help the team win."
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Odafe Oweh breaks down his free agency choice
Continue reading...
