Big Ten Championship on December 4, 2021. (Zoey Holmstrom)
What’ happened during David Ojabo statement
Ravens outside linebacker David Ojabo went on injured reserve Sept. 30, and the team announced at the time that his season could be finished with a knee injury.
Coach John Harbaugh announced Monday that Ojabo indeed is out for the year after undergoing surgery to repair a partially torn ACL.
Ojabo has not played since Week 3, and he had hope of returning this season. But by undergoing surgery now, Ojabo will return to full health before the start of the 2024 season.
He finished the season with six tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
“He had to make a decision about it, in terms of whether to risk it or not,” Harbaugh said, via Clifton Brown of the team website. “Every medical expert said to get it fixed. He wanted to play, but even I told him, ‘Man, you’ve got to get that right for the rest of your career,’ because it’s a clean type of surgery.
“He’ll be rolling again, training camp at the latest.”
Ojabo tore his Achilles at his Michigan Pro Day before the 2022 draft and missed most of his rookie season while rehabbing. The second-round pick played two games last season.
Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald also coached Ojabo at Michigan.
“He’s going to have a great career,” Macdonald said. “Obviously you feel for him the way his career has started. He’s dealing with adversity right now, so he needs our support and he has it.”
In other injury news, Harbaugh said outside linebacker Tyus Bowser still hopes to return from the reserve/non-football injury list this season. Bowser’s knee, though, has not allowed him to practice yet.
With Lamar Jackson tied down to the five-year, $260 million contract extension he signed last offseason and being fresh off his second league MVP-winning season, the Baltimore Ravens are keeping him involved in their future plans. In fact, Jackson is pulling double duty this offseason as he is scouting potential future teammates in the upcoming NFL Draft, as revealed by Ravens coach John Harbaugh.
“He is looking at guys now,” Harbaugh said recently, according to ESPN. “He and I agree on a few guys. We haven’t disagreed on anybody yet. We’re sharing our vision together.”
As ESPN puts it, being a full-time quarterback and “part-time scout” isn’t anything new for the reigning MVP. He played this role last offseason for the Ravens, scouting receivers from the South Florida region. That is where Jackson found last year’s first-round pick, Zay Flowers.
“He has strong opinions on all these guys, too,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said last offseason when speaking of Jackson’s role in the scouting process. “He’s very loyal to the players from that part of the country and so he has a lot of opinions on Zay. He was very, very excited that we got him.”
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Nov 20, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh greats Baltimore Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
Flowers, the former Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native by way of Boston College, repaid Jackson’s faith from the pre-draft process with a promising rookie season. Flowers played in 16 games, all of which as a starter, and led the team in receiving with 858 yards and five touchdowns on 77 receptions.
While Jackson’s involvement once again in the pre-draft evaluation process doesn’t necessarily mean the Ravens will use their No. 30 overall pick to add another piece offensively, it certainly doesn’t hurt that chance.
Both receiver and offensive tackle stand out as big needs for the Ravens this offseason after losing last year’s addition of Odell Beckham Jr. to free agency. They suffered similar attrition upfront, with Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson signing elsewhere, while they traded Morgan Moses.
So, whether the Ravens select a receiver or offensive lineman, it seems safe to say that Jackson will have evaluated his future teammate.
