Sunday’s 44-10 loss to the Houston Texans was arguably the lowest point in the John Harbaugh era.
That dates back to 2008 when Joe Flacco was a rookie.
A defense gutted of several stars struggled against a middling Texans offense.
In truth, though, Baltimore has not been good this season, even before injuries on either side of the ball.
Having fallen to 1-4, it was not a surprise to see the Baltimore Ravens go into the market to add players to their struggling roster.
However, the trade that was made was a surprising one.
Oweh out, Gilman in
The Ravens traded Odafe Oweh to the LA Chargers in exchange for Alohi Gilman and a swap of Day 3 draft picks.
On the face of it, this trade makes the Ravens’ defense even worse.
They are losing a player who had 10 sacks in 2024 on a team that has been dreadful getting to the QB in 2025.
There is some context to bare in mind, though.
Oweh is in the final year of his rookie contract.
Prior to a poor start to 2025, he would have been expecting a big contract in the spring.
Adding a safety in Gilman provides some flexibility in the secondary, particularly while players like Marlon Humphrey, Chidobe Awuzie and Kyle Hamilton return from injury.
It also allows the defense to use Hamilton and Malaki Starks, among others, as movable chess pieces as part of their scheme.
However, the trade goes against the Ravens’ traditional approach.
Baltimore normally target compensatory draft picks and would likely have received a solid pick for Oweh. The compensatory pick definitely could have been higher than a fifth rounder.
Bringing in Gilman now may show how much they are trying to rescue 2025 than build for 2026.
But Gilman on his own is not going to fix a defense that has allowed 177 points through five weeks.
Is the Ravens’ season beyond saving?
There appear to be structural issues with this defense.
Beyond that, it does not matter how good the team is on paper if they are not playing for the coaches.
The Ravens have shown that they are willing to make changes to the personnel on the field to create a spark.
How long is it until changes need to be made to the coaching staff? For now, that will have to wait.
But the Ravens face the prospect of going into their bye at 1-5 on the back of being humbled in their last three home games.
Those calls are only going to get louder.
