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On Monday afternoon, Ravens coach John Harbaugh opened his news conference with an ominous remark.

“We have a lot of decisions to make,” he said.

Two days after a blowout loss to the Houston Texans, the Ravens’ defense was already decidedly different. On Tuesday, the team signed polarizing safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the practice squad and traded away outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman as part of a late-round pick swap.

Where does that leave the reeling Ravens (1-4) heading into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams (3-2)? Here are the winners and losers after a busy day for general manager Eric DeCosta.

Winners

Odafe Oweh: He probably wasn’t getting the contract extension he wanted in Baltimore. Now, the former first-round pick can start over on a Chargers team that needs young pass rush talent. Starting outside linebacker Khalil Mack will miss at least one more game on injured reserve while recovering from an elbow injury, and at age 34, the Chargers can’t afford to run him into the ground. Tuli Tuipulotu, a second-round pick in 2023, has developed into a high-impact pass rusher this season (four sacks). But the Chargers’ edge-rushing cupboard is otherwise barren.

Oweh’s disappointing production this season (no sacks) belies his win rate — among Ravens pass rushers, he trailed only defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike on “true pass sets,” according to Pro Football Focus — and his potential impact on a well-schooled Chargers defense. Oweh’s play strength may keep him from being an early-down contributor in the NFL, but he showed last year that he has the athletic ability and pass rush moves to reach double-digit sacks.

Kyle Hamilton’s 2023 role: Gilman was useful in the Chargers’ defense because, as a deep safety, he freed up star Derwin James Jr. to play closer to the line of scrimmage. James has played nearly 92% of his defensive snaps in the slot, in the box or along the line of scrimmage this season, according to PFF. Hamilton, meanwhile, has played just under half of his snaps there.

But with cornerback Marlon Humphrey sidelined by a calf injury and the Ravens struggling to create splash plays up front, Hamilton’s role could evolve. In 2023, he bounced around the defense but starred primarily as coordinator Mike Macdonald’s top nickel back in three-safety looks. Hamilton had three sacks, four interceptions and a defensive touchdown that season, earning his first of two straight Pro Bowl honors with a disruptive presence the Ravens have lacked this fall. Proximity to Roquan Smith could help the Pro Bowl inside linebacker find his form, too, once he returns from a hamstring injury.

Zach Orr: The embattled coordinator needs all the help he can get. The Ravens have one of the NFL’s most disappointing defenses, vulnerable through the air and on the ground. Even if Oweh’s departure hurts the Ravens’ lackluster pass rush, Gilman’s arrival should help their coverage over the middle of the field. According to Sports Info Solutions, on passes 5 to 15 yards downfield in between the numbers this season, the Ravens have allowed 355 yards and four touchdowns on 27-for-33 passing.

Hamilton, one of the defense’s most instinctive players, should help there if he plays closer to the line of scrimmage. Gilman is regarded as a strong communicator and should help bring stability to the spine of the defense, which has quickly turned from one of the team’s biggest strengths into one of its most glaring weaknesses.

Tony Jefferson: Two years ago, the former Ravens safety had just retired from the NFL and was working as a Ravens scouting intern. Now, three weeks after the Chargers signed Jefferson off their practice squad, he could be in line to start in Los Angeles. Jefferson should have a significant role in former Ravens assistant coach Jesse Minter’s defense alongside safeties Elijah Molden and James. In four games this season, the 33-year-old has an interception and 16 tackles while playing 62% of the defensive snaps.

Losers

Ravens’ pass rush: Only two teams have fewer sacks than the Ravens this season (six), and Oweh didn’t have any over his first five games. But he at least contributed to the pass rush. The Ravens don’t have a sack with Oweh off the field. Their pressure rate, meanwhile, fell from 33.9% to 19.8% when he was sidelined, according to SIS, though Oweh’s role as a situational pass rusher likely contributed to that divide. (The Carolina Panthers are last in the NFL with a 20.2% pressure rate.)

Kyle Van Noy, Tavius Robinson and rookie Mike Green have combined for three sacks and 21 pressures this season, according to PFF, nearly equaling Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s 2025 output. Among the 100 edge defenders with at least 50 pass rush snaps in 2025, all three rank outside of the top 75 in win rate on true pass sets. Oweh was 26th. A healthier, more cohesive secondary will help, but only so much.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson: In the early afternoon, it seemed the Ravens’ practice squad signing would have a relatively straightforward path to the playing field. A few hours later, the safety room was more crowded. Gilman not only brings more stability to the position and the locker room but also more familiarity with the structure of the Ravens’ defense. (Minter was on Baltimore’s defensive staff from 2017 to 2020.) Both will need time to learn Orr’s scheme, but Gilman should have the upper hand in the Ravens’ pecking order.

Other positions of need: The Ravens still need a lot more help before anyone will consider them a playoff contender. Specifically, more help in the trenches. The Ravens would have to pay a premium to acquire a suitable Madubuike replacement before the Nov. 4 trade deadline, and if they can’t find a partner willing to deal away a starting-caliber guard, they might have to forge ahead with their in-house options. Coaches and teammates have backed Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele this season, but their struggles have hamstrung the Ravens at key points.

David Ojabo: The outside linebacker is close friends with Oweh. They have a shared Nigerian heritage and played together in high school before developing into top NFL draft prospects. Now Ojabo will have to finish the final year of his rookie deal without Oweh and Madubuike, another friend who suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2.