The Washington Commanders reportedly made a huge splash in free agency with the addition of former Penn State football defensive end Odafe Oweh.
Penn State OL stud prospect emerging as top 5 talent despite positional value
In the afternoon of Monday, March 9, Nick Shook of NFL.com reported that Oweh signed a four-year, $100 million deal with Washington. The elite edge rusher is guaranteed $68 million.
Oweh was a first round selection from the 2021 NFL Draft. The Baltimore Ravens drafted him 31st overall. He spent four seasons with the Ravens. On April 30, 2024, they opted to pick up his fifth-year option, but his 2025 season was cut short. On Oct. 7, 2025, the former Nittany Lion was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers. Baltimore received safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick in exchange. Los Angeles also acquired a 2027 seventh-round draft pick in this trade.
With the Ravens, Oweh played in 67 games and made 25 starts. He registered 148 tackles, 66 quarterback hits, 26 tackles for loss, 23 sacks, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one pass defensed. However, in his abbreviated 2025 season, he played in five games with two starts, and only logged 10 tackles, five quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss.
After the trade, Oweh sparked and his value soared as a result heading into 2026 free agency.
The Penn State product played in 12 regular season contests, making two starts, and had 28 tackles, 13 quarterback hits, eight tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks. He also played against the New England Patriots in the AFC Wild Card Round. He had four tackles, three sacks, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and two forced fumbles.
This elite talent is something that the Chargers unfortunately let walk. However, his price point is more than likely a huge reason why. The Commanders are using a huge amount of cap space to have Oweh on their squad. The only way to validate that amount of money is for him to have an extremely impactful stint in Washington.
Oweh played for the blue and white for three seasons, starting in 2018. He registered 63 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two passes defensed, and two forced fumbles over 24 games.