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NFL trade fallout: What do Flacco, Oweh, and Gilman bring to the Bengals, Chargers, and Ravens?
Tuesday’s trade news kept fans on their toes. Joe Flacco left the Cleveland Browns for a fresh start with the Cincinnati Bengals, while Odafe Oweh found a new home with the Los Angeles Chargers, and Alohi Gilman made his way to join the Baltimore Ravens.
With all three players expected to step in as immediate contributors, fans eager to watch their debuts can follow the action live and on demand with a DAZN NFL Game Pass.
Here, I take a closer look at what each player brings to their new teams.
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Joe Flacco, QB - Cincinnati Bengals
It all started to unravel for the Bengals in Week 2 when Joe Burrow, the face of the franchise and last year’s NFL passing and touchdown leader, left the win over Jacksonville with a toe injury that required surgery.
The moment he was ruled out for three months, everyone knew what it meant - Cincinnati’s playoff dreams were probably over.
Jake Browning did his best, but it wasn’t enough. The Bengals stumbled to three straight losses, and his three-interception performance forced Zac Taylor’s hand.
I don't mind the draft picks the Bengals gave up, but choosing Flacco raises eyebrows.
Is Flacco any better than Browning?
In four starts for the Browns, the 40-year-old has thrown two touchdowns, six interceptions, and completed only 58.1% of his pass attempts.
He was benched in Cleveland for a reason, and his rookie replacement, Gabriel, immediately brought a spark to Cleveland's offense that was sorely missing with Flacco under centre.
As uneven as Browning has been, there were occasions when he looked the better of the two signal-callers.
This throw to wideout Ja'Marr Chase was probably ill-advised, given the wideout was in triple coverage, but the execution was a thing of beauty.
Taylor has yet to name Cincinnati's starting quarterback for Week 6's visit to the Green Bay Packers, but it appears Flacco is in line for the honours. I doubt he looks much better than Browning.
Odafe Oweh, edge rusher - Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers' defense has produced 14 sacks this season, but six of those came in a single game - against a Giants' rookie making his debut and an offensive line that was struggling health-wise.
Losing Khalil Mack in Week 2 didn't help. At 34, he's lost a step, but he was still one of the team's best edge rushers. He had signed a one-year extension in the summer and was expected to improve upon the six sacks he managed in 2024.
Tuli Tuipulotu shone brightly against the New York Giants with four sacks, but has failed to add to that number in all four of the Bolts' other games.
His inconsistency and the lack of production from others were undoubtedly the reasons the Chargers traded for Oweh in exchange for safety Alohi Gilman.
Can Oweh help this unit generate more pressure?
For a former first-round pick, Odafe Oweh’s early NFL career was underwhelming. He managed just 13 sacks in his first three seasons, and while there were flashes of progress, many of us had already written him off as a bust heading into 2024.
That narrative flipped fast. Oweh erupted for 10 sacks last year, finally showing the explosive traits Baltimore believed in when they drafted him. The expectation was that 2025 would be the year he cemented himself as a true difference-maker.
So far, though, that hasn’t quite materialised. Through five games, the 26-year-old leads all Ravens edge rushers with 12 pressures, but he hasn’t recorded a single sack and has only 10 tackles to his name.
Still, there’s plenty to like about what he brings to the Chargers. Even in a “down” stretch, his 10% pressure rate would rank second among Los Angeles edge defenders, behind Tuli Tuipulotu and comfortably ahead of the rest of the group.
From the Ravens' perspective, Oweh was playing out his contract, and with Mike Green ready to take on more responsibility, Baltimore did well to flip him now instead of letting him leave for nothing in free agency.
Alohi Gilman, safety - Baltimore Ravens
Gilman’s story is one of steady progress. Taken in the sixth round back in 2020, he began as a core special teamer, worked his way into the defensive rotation, and by 2023, had become a full-time starter.
Gilman’s breakout came in 2023, when he teamed up with the outstanding Derwin James to form one of the league’s more dynamic safety duos.
That season marked the peak of his career so far, with personal bests in tackles (73), forced fumbles (3), interceptions (3), and passes defended (10).
Since then, things haven’t gone quite as smoothly. Injuries and inconsistency have held Gilman back, missed tackles have piled up, and in the last few games, he has begun to concede snaps to veteran Tony Jefferson.
Can Gilman help the struggling Ravens' defense?
Heading into the year, the Ravens looked rock solid at safety. Kyle Hamilton was coming off another dominant season, Ar’Darius Washington seemed ready to take the next step after a strong 2024, and first-round pick Malaki Starks added fresh talent to an already loaded group. What could go wrong?
The answer is everything.
Washington tore his Achilles, Starks has struggled to find his footing, and now Hamilton is sidelined with a groin injury. The result has been a defense that’s fallen apart, and a season that’s quickly gone off the rails.
If Gilman can steady the back end until Hamilton’s back and Starks adjusts, that’s mission accomplished.
