Odafe Oweh was a first-round NFL draft pick and an impactful pass rusher, but that hasn’t made him a household name. The Penn State product has 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons, and has been a terror off the edge, but it still might’ve been surprising when the Commanders paid him $100 million over four years earlier this spring.
General manager Adam Peters is betting big on an ascending player, a 27-year-old, lightning-quick athletic freak who aids Washington’s desire to get younger, faster and
more ferocious up front.
Oweh will be integral to Washington’s defensive efforts, a highlight player within new coordinator Daronte Jones’ defensive scheme. While this Commanders fan base will get to know Oweh over the course of this season and the life of his contract, some introductions must be made.
That happened a bit after Tuesday’s open OTA session, with Oweh was asked to describe himself to the Commanders fan base.
He used one word, and it’s a good one.
Relentless.
“I’m always trying to make a play, going after the ball,” Oweh said in a post-practice press conference. “I’m athletic, long, just a rangy dude. I’m a Swiss Army knife.”
Oweh will be asked to defend the run and rush the passer at a high level while playing a significant number of snaps. He played 56% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps in 2024 and 50% of the Los Angeles Chargers game reps over 12 games in 2025, though we might expect higher totals all around in a more prominent role. That’s fair, considering his sky-high 15.8% pressure rate, per NFL Next Gen Stats, last season.
Oweh doesn’t mind elevated expectations, understanding that they come with the territory after signing a big free-agent contract. That doesn’t mean he’ll spend much time worrying about them.
“Just focus on the main thing and get better every day,” Oweh said. “I’ve had expectations since I started playing this sport, and even before, when I was playing basketball. Focus on the work and your teammates and people that are helping you. It’s a team game as well. If you focus on the right things, the results will take care of themselves.”
Oweh can produce positive results. That has been proven. He has a specific type of lock-in that works well and was uniquely described.
“It’s a flow state,” Oweh said. “I don’t know, it’s out of body. The focus is on trying to make plays. It’s weirdly uncanny. I’m just there. I don’t know exactly what is but…I’m just going to be where the ball’s at.”
He’ll have opportunities to do so in the Commanders defensive scheme. Oweh likes the system and his role in it, but understands that not every moment this season will be a positive one. A proper mindset will help him get through tough times and emerge a better player.
“I’m going to keep working through adversity and through the wins,” Oweh said. “It’s wins and lessons, not wins and losses. God forbid, if adversity does come, I’ll be determined and keep striving to get better. That’s for myself and the team as well. If it’s hard, I’m not going to lose faith in what I’ve got going on. I don’t care about naysayers or anything like that. I just keep going.”
