In his statements to the media at the his end-of-season press conference last week, Baltimore Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta made it clear that expectations for next season are particularly high for one player on the team’s defense in 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo. The rookie didn’t play much during his first year due to recovering from a torn achilles, but showed key flashes.
Ojabo made a few huge plays for the Ravens’ defense at the end of the season, and in limited action provided a spark that was easy to notice on film. Heading into next season, DeCosta said, Baltimore thinks even better things are to come from the young pass rusher.
“We are extremely excited about Dave [David Ojabo],” He explained. “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. [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. 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.”
In a season where the Ravens’ defense did seemingly mostly everything right, all eyes will be on Baltimore’s offense in the team’s pursuit of Super Bowl glory in 2023. Though Lamar Jackson and the Ravens’ new offensive coordinator will command much of the media’s attention heading into next season, Ojabo may be one of the most impactful players on the roster come Week 1.