Last season, the Washington Commanders had a mediocre defense against the pass with 42 total sacks last year. However, they lost their leading sack leader, Von Miller, in the offseason. They took a big swing at outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to fill Miller’s place, signing him to a four-year, $96 million contract.
Oweh had a missed season last year. He started the season with the Baltimore Ravens. In those five games, he did not record a single sack, but five quarterback hits and one tackle for loss. However, once he was traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, he recorded 7.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and eight tackles for loss in the final 12 games of the season.
Washington signed Oweh with the hope that he would repeat his production in Los Angeles.
Seth Walder with ESPN believes that Oweh can put up similar production with the Commanders this season and predicts him to finish in the top 20 in sacks this season with seven sacks. This is what Walder had to say:
“Oweh is coming off an interesting season in which he recorded zero sacks in five games with the Ravens, following by 7.5 in 12 with the Chargers after being traded. Which was the real Oweh?
I'd say ... both? Oweh was actually recording a strong pass rush win rate before the trade -- it just didn't result in sacks. The sacks eventually came once he went to Los Angeles and Washington paid big money for Oweh to fill their edge-rushing void.
Will he? To some degree. Oweh has demonstrated an ability to win on a play-to-play level and can deliver sacks. And finishing 20th on this list is solid, even if the 7.0 forecast doesn't feel amazing. But Washington fans should be realistic. Oweh is a good pass rusher, but not a great one. At $24 million per year in today's cap environment, that's essentially what they paid for.”
During the offseason, the Commanders also added K’Lavon Chaisson who spent last season with the New England Patriots. Chaisson had 7.5 sacks and 18 quarterback hits last season. With Oweh and Chaisson together on the defensive line, both of them seem capable of achieving at least seven sacks if they live up to their full potential.
However, there is the concern with Oweh of whether or not he will be consistent. During his first year with Baltimore in 2021, he only had five sacks; in 2022, he had three sacks. In 2023, he got back to five sacks and then in 2024, he hit his career-highs in sacks with 10 and quarterback hits with 23.
If Oweh can do what he did in 2024 or with the Chargers in 2025, the Commanders will have a better defense overall this season. But, if Oweh performs like he did in 2021 through 2023 or the beginning of the 2025 season, he will prove to be a bust Washington.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: ESPN expert predicts Commanders' Odafe Oweh's sack total in 2026
