Odafe Oweh
American football player (born 1998)
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Odafe Jayson Oweh (/əˈdɑːfeɪ ˈoʊweɪ/; born December 15, 1998) is an American professional football defensive end for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Oweh played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. He has also played for the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S.
Oweh with the Baltimore Ravens in 2024 | |||||||||||
| No. 98 – Washington Commanders | |||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | December 15, 1998 Hackensack, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 251 lb (114 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey) | ||||||||||
| College | Penn State (2018–2020) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2021 (1st round, 31st overall pick) | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Early life
Oweh, of Nigerian descent, was born on December 15, 1998, in Hackensack, New Jersey.[1] He attended Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey.[2] While at Blair Academy, he became best friends with former teammate David Ojabo.[3] He was selected to play in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game.[4] Oweh committed to Penn State to play college football.[5]
College career
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 257 lb (117 kg) | 34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 4.37 s | 1.59 s | 2.59 s | 4.20 s | 6.90 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) | 11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) | 21 reps |
| All values from Pro Day[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Baltimore Ravens
2021 season
Oweh was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round (31st overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, which they previously obtained in a trade that sent Orlando Brown Jr. to the Kansas City Chiefs. Soon after the draft, Oweh announced that he would be going by his first name Odafe instead of his middle name Jayson, which he went by in college to avoid confusion regarding the pronunciation of his first name.[13] He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $12.6 million, on June 10, 2021.[14]
Oweh got his first career forced fumble and recovery late in the fourth quarter against Clyde Edwards-Helaire and the Chiefs, his second career game. The turnover helped seal a 36–35 victory.[15] He was named the defensive player of the week for his performance, which included three tackles, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He also had a quarterback hit on Patrick Mahomes that led to an interception by his teammate Tavon Young.[16] He would not play the final two weeks of the season due to injury, becoming just one of the many Ravens players that would be injured that season.[17] Oweh finished his rookie season with 33 total tackles, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and a pass breakup.[18] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[19]
2022 season
In Week 4 against the Buffalo Bills, he forced a fumble that was recovered by teammate Marcus Williams and also had a sack on Josh Allen. However, the Ravens would lose 20–23.[20] He finished the season with 43 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and a recovery in 17 games and six starts.[21]
2023 season
In 13 games and five starts in 2023, Oweh finished fourth on the team with five sacks, along with 23 tackles and two forced fumbles.[22][23]
2024 season
On April 30, 2024, the Ravens picked up the fifth-year option on Oweh's contract.[24] He made 17 appearances (10 starts) for Baltimore, compiling one forced fumble, 10 sacks, and 39 combined tackles.
2025 season
Oweh made five appearances (two starts) during the 2025 season, recording 10 combined tackles.
Los Angeles Chargers
On October 7, 2025, Oweh and a 2027 seventh-round pick were traded to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick (No. 162: Chandler Rivers).[25]
Washington Commanders
On March 14, 2026, Oweh signed with the Washington Commanders on a four-year, $100 million contract with $68 million guaranteed.[26][27]
Career statistics
NFL
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | FF | FR | Yds | TD | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | ||
| 2021 | BAL | 15 | 2 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2022 | BAL | 17 | 6 | 43 | 30 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | BAL | 13 | 5 | 23 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | BAL | 17 | 10 | 39 | 25 | 14 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | BAL | 5 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LAC | 12 | 2 | 28 | 15 | 13 | 7.5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career | 79 | 27 | 176 | 118 | 58 | 30.5 | 34 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
Postseason
College
Personal life
Oweh's younger brother, Otega Oweh, is a guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association.[28]
