{"id":48078,"date":"2025-05-14T04:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T04:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48078"},"modified":"2025-05-14T04:00:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T04:00:45","slug":"breaking-ravens-sign-free-agent-edge-rusher-amid-david-ojabo-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48078","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING : Ravens Sign Free Agent Edge-Rusher Amid David Ojabo News"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"l-article__header\">\n<h1 class=\"c-headline c-headline--extra-large entry-title\">\u00a0<time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-05-13T21:20:32+00:00\"><\/time><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"l-article__content\">\n<div class=\"c-content entry-content\">\n<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2190565037-e1747170430324.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2190565037-e1747170430324.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2190565037-e1747170430324.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/GettyImages-2190565037-e1747170430324.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"David Ojabo\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-img-load-time=\"801\" data-dom-ready-time=\"1908\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">The Baltimore Ravens signed a free agent edge-rusher after getting some news about David Ojabo.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/sports\/nfl\/baltimore-ravens\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\">B<\/a>altimore Ravens\u00a0aren\u2019t content with drafting\u00a0Mike Green\u00a0to improve their pass rush and have added a disruptive edge defender in free agency after receiving some news about oft-injured outside linebacker\u00a0David Ojabo.<\/p>\n<p>Former University of North Carolina defensive end\u00a0Kaimon Rucker\u00a0signed with the Ravens on Tuesday, May 13. His arrival was confirmed by\u00a0Ravens.com Editorial Assistant Matt Ryan, who also confirmed the team was \u201cawarded an international exemption for outside linebacker David Ojabo, who was born in Nigeria. The exemption means Ojabo won\u2019t count towards Baltimore\u2019s 90-man roster.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Ravens are still waiting for Ojabo to live up to the billing as a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Green has the same status, but Rucker will also add some youthful energy to an edge-rusher rotation still fronted by 34-year-old\u00a0Kyle Van Noy.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, Rucker will need to overcome his own health concerns before proving he can make the grade in the pros.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Ravens Taking a Chance on Highly Productive Edge-Rusher<\/h2>\n<p>Rucker broke his leg during his final year with the Tar Heels, and that surely did more than anything else to prevent him from getting drafted. There was nothing wrong with his production, not when he logged \u201c14.5 sacks over the last two seasons, including six in eight games during the 2024 season,\u201d according to\u00a0Bleacher Report\u2019s Matt Holder.<\/p>\n<p>Most of those sacks were due to what\u00a0The 33rd Team\u2019s Kyle Crabbs\u00a0called a high \u201crush IQ and low center of gravity running the loop.\u201d Those things give Rucker \u201can opportunity to earn snaps in a role-specific situation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He showed off his pass-rushing prowess during a three-sack, seven-pressures splash game against Virginia in 2024, highlighted by\u00a0The Draft Network\u2019s Ryan Fowl<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/_RyanFowler_\/status\/1850309704582672768\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">er<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"6365add3a66d624856580557d6ca79da\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container\">\n<article class=\"tweet-container_article\">\n<div class=\"tweet-container_header \">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__author tweet-header__author--verified\">\n<div class=\"tweet-header__meta\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-header-brand\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-body\">\n<p>North Carolina ED Kaimon Rucker v Virginia today \u2014 7 pressures &amp; 3 sacks.<\/p>\n<p>Great to see him healthy after battling a knee injury early this fall. Explosive at 265.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-media tweet-media--1\">\n<div class=\"tweet-media__container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tweet-actions\"><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The Ravens handing Rucker a contract shows they are confident about the state of his leg. They are also apparently comfortable with the 23-year-old\u2019s 6-foot-1 height.<\/p>\n<p>Shorter pass-rushers have had success in Baltimore before, notably Pro Bowler Elvis Dumervil. Rucker can join some select company if his core rush skills translate well to a higher level.<\/p>\n<p>If he can make the switch, Rucker will also increase the pressure on Ojabo to stick on the roster.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>David Ojabo Facing Uphill Battle<\/h2>\n<p>Tearing his Achilles at Michigan\u2019s pro day before he was drafted put a hurdle in Ojabo\u2019s career development he\u2019s since struggled to clear. A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.draftsharks.com\/fantasy\/injury-history\/david-ojabo\/12676\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">t<\/a>orn ACL\u00a0wrecked his second season in Week 3, while Ojabo was\u00a0overlooked even when healthy\u00a0at times in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Ojabo\u2019s unsuccessful search for durability and consistency has stretched the Ravens\u2019 resources out on the edge. The depth chart was reinforced when\u00a0Green slid to them\u00a0with the 59th-overall pick.<\/p>\n<p>Green led college football with 17.5 sacks last season, so he should quickly mix in with Van Noy and\u00a0Odafe Oweh. The latter will be a free agent in 2026, so there\u2019s room for another versatile and active edge-rusher.<\/p>\n<p>It could still be Ojabo, but Rucker has as much positional upside to be a factor in this scheme. That upside comes from his fit for a 3-4 defense, because he\u2019s \u201cpredominantly worked from a 2-point stance and as a wide-angled rusher,\u201d\u00a0according to Crabb<a href=\"https:\/\/www.the33rdteam.com\/kaimon-rucker-2025-nfl-draft-scouting-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external\">s<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Whether Rucker makes the roster or not, it\u2019s clear the Ravens will explore every option to expand their pass rush room.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Getty The Baltimore Ravens signed a free agent edge-rusher after getting some news about David Ojabo. The\u00a0Baltimore Ravens\u00a0aren\u2019t content with drafting\u00a0Mike Green\u00a0to improve their pass rush&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":48079,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48078","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING : Ravens Sign Free Agent Edge-Rusher Amid David Ojabo News - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=48078\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING : Ravens Sign Free Agent Edge-Rusher Amid David Ojabo News - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 Getty The Baltimore Ravens signed a free agent edge-rusher after getting some news about David Ojabo. 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