Chargers' trade for Ravens' pass rusher is a huge vote of confidence for rookie safety

The Los Angeles Chargers made a headline-grabbing trade on Tuesday, sending safety Alohi Gilman to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for edge rusher Odafe Oweh. The Ravens will also get a fifth-round pick in 2026 and the Chargers will get a seventh-round pick in 2027. 

The trade is a big defensive move for both teams with each looking for answers in the midst of a slump. Of course, these two teams are coached by brothers, Jim and John Harbaugh, and as a result, many players have been connected to both teams. 

The trade actually fell under the radar on Wednesday, as the bigger move of the day was the Cincinnati Bengals acquiring quarterback Joe Flacco from the division-rival Cleveland Browns. 

For the Chargers, landing Oweh in exchange for Gilman has a chance to be a big win for the team. Oweh was a first-round pick for the Ravens in 2021 and has 23 career sacks. The Chargers have clearly taken a step back in the pass-rush department since the injury to Khalil Mack, making this a great move to get quick results. 

The Ravens, who haven't been able to stop anything with their secondary, add Gilman to the mix. Gilman has been better than most expected since being taken in the sixth round of the 2020 draft, but the Chargers have Derwin James and the trade last season to acquire Elijah Molden has made him somewhat expendable. 

This spring, the Chargers selected R.J. Mickens out of Clemson in the sixth round and he is the player who likely won't be talked about much following this deal, but one who stands a lot to gain. There were many analysts who felt the Chargers got tremendous value with the pick and if the team wasn't feeling strongly about his potential impact, this deal may not have gone down. 

The Chargers should get a solid grade right out of the gate for this trade but even in the future, with the benefit of hindsight, this stands to be a tremendous trade due to what Mickens can bring to the lineup. Mickens has only played in two games so far this year, but his name will be one to look out for going forward. 

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