Three Ravens outside linebackers came into camp with guaranteed roster spots: Kyle Van Noy, Odafe Oweh and Tavius Robinson.

Second-round rookie Mike Green was always going to make the team in his first year, too.

So the question all along has been: Which of the once highly touted options will hold on to the fifth spot?

David Ojabo is a 2022 second-round pick heading into his fourth season. After dealing with multiple injuries, he has been slow to progress in his career. He has played just 18 games, 13 of them coming last year, and recorded four sacks.

Adisa Isaac was the Ravens’ third-round draft pick in 2024. His first season stalled due to a nagging hamstring injury; he played only four games (in one of which he did not get a snap on defense) and finished with four tackles.

Ojabo got off to the faster start in camp — but he also had a strong training camp in 2024, followed by an underwhelming season. Isaac had a quiet start to camp but then looked good in the first preseason game.

Now, with two rookie corners being knocked out for the season, a new question has emerged: Could the Ravens keep six outside linebackers and only 10 defensive backs? Ojabo and Isaac are making a case for that setup.

Coach John Harbaugh likes what he’s seen from both.

“I saw a lot of it [progress from Ojabo] in the game,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’s playing in a really direct way. ... I think his upside is really there.

“[Isaac] is really starting to play with physicality,” Harbaugh said. “... He looks really strong coming off the edge. He’s knocking back tight ends, he’s stalemating tackles, and he’s really hitting all those pull, kick-out schemes really well. And his pass rush has been more physical, too.”

Ojabo and Isaac have additional value because they’ve played on special teams.

Harbaugh said the roster crunch is a “good problem to have” and that the Ravens will see how the rest of preseason plays out.

Outside linebackers coach Matt Robinson said Isaac and Ojabo are more alike than different.

As Harbaugh pointed out, Ojabo came to football late. He played just one year of high school football. So he’s still, in a way, getting a feel for the game. Likewise, Isaac didn’t even have football on his radar until middle school, and he didn’t start playing until high school because he didn’t want to burden his mother with the time commitment.

Both are also friends and mentees of Oweh. Ojabo went to Oweh’s private high school, Blair Academy, in New Jersey where the two Nigerians bonded over their culture. They then went to rival universities, Oweh to Penn State and Ojabo to Michigan.

While at Penn State, Oweh hosted Isaac on his official visit, and they bonded quickly. Isaac looked up to Oweh, and even now, Robinson said, Isaac’s always “in his pocket,” trying to learn from Oweh.

Ojabo and Isaac both tore an Achilles tendon, Ojabo at Michigan’s pro day in 2022 and Isaac at Penn State ahead of its 2021 season opener.

Ojabo played two games in his first season with the Ravens. But in 2023 he partially tore his ACL three weeks in and had season-ending surgery. He returned to health in 2024.

Isaac stayed healthy following his Achilles injury and had a big senior season. However, he suffered a hamstring injury at the NFL scouting combine, and it lingered through his rookie season.

Despite the mental toll of their lengthy journeys to health, Robinson (who also saw his playing career limited by injury) said both have showed a willingness to compete in camp.

Now that they’re healthy, they’re showing even their skill sets overlap.

“They’re both contact players,” Robinson said. “They’re long. They’re strong. They’re physical at the point of attack. They have really good power at the top of their rush, and I think in a lot of ways they’re alike.”

They’re a different type of player than their friend Oweh, however. But they look up to him, and Robinson said it’s been beneficial for the room.

“They [Oweh and Isaac] are different players at the point of attack, at times, but I really like their relationship,” Robinson said. “It’s cool to see. And the fact that the same thing [happened] with ‘Jab’ and ‘Dafe,’ it’s cool to have guys who grew up playing with each other. I think that relationship helps them when they’re out there. They can trust each other.”