David Ojabo Expected to Be Impact Player for Ravens In Second Year

The Baltimore Ravens have high expectations for linebacker David Ojabo, who should be fully healthy in his second year.

Todd Karpovich | Feb 15, 2023

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Baltimore Ravens

OWINGS MILLS — Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo flashed his potential with a strip sack of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow in the regular-season finale.

Baltimore is hoping to see more of those types of plays this year.

"We are extremely excited about Dave," DeCosta said. "He came off the Achilles; obviously, he worked very, very hard to come back. He probably could have played a little bit earlier, but quite honestly, we stayed very healthy at that position, [and] we loved our depth at the outside linebacker position. We didn’t want to rush him in there. But he’s a long, tall guy, explosive.

The Ravens selected Ojabo in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft, possibly falling that far because of the Achilles injury he sustained during his Pro Day.

In his final season at Michigan, Ojabo appeared in all 14 games with six starts at outside linebacker, finishing with 35 tackles, including 12 for a loss, 11 sacks, and three pass breakups. He also had eight quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery, and a program-record five forced fumbles.

The Ravens took their time getting Ojabo back into the lineup because they did not want to re-aggravate the Achilles injury. He was able to make some plays in his limited action.

A full offseason of work and training camp should further help his development and make him an impact player in 2023.

"[He has a] great attitude [and] tremendous, tremendous potential, and we just can’t wait to see what he’s going to do this year," DeCosta said. "I think having a great offseason for him, considering what he went through last year, is really critical. His attitude is awesome, he’s got an infectious personality and a lot of ability.”

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Published Feb 15, 2023

TODD KARPOVICH

Twitter: @toddkarpovich Email: todd.karpovich@gmail.com Skype: todd.karpovich Todd Karpovich has been a contributor for ESPN, Forbes, the Associated Press, Lindy's, and The Baltimore Sun, among other media outlets nationwide. He is the co-author of “If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Baltimore Ravens Sideline, Locker Room, and Press Box,” “Skipper Supreme: Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles,” and the author of “Manchester United (Europe's Best Soccer Clubs).” Karpovich, a Baltimore native, is a graduate of Calvert Hall College high school, Randolph-Macon College in Virginia, and has a Masters of Science from Towson University.