The Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback room has gone from thin to emergency mode in a matter of days.
Tyler Huntley is out for the remainder of the 2026 season with turf toe, Lamar Jackson is headed to injured reserve after undergoing surgery on his right thumb, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano will make his first NFL start Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
For a Ravens team sitting at 4-4 and riding a three-game losing streak, the timing could not be worse.
Tyler Huntley’s Season Is Over
Tests revealed Wednesday morning that Huntley’s toe injury is season-ending.
Huntley was hurt during Sunday’s 36-10 loss to Buffalo after replacing Jackson, who suffered his own injury on Baltimore’s first offensive play.
The 28-year-old had already been ruled out for Thursday. Now Baltimore knows it will not have him available again this season.
Huntley appeared in five games this year and made three starts while Jackson was sidelined with an ankle injury. He completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 727 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, while adding 76 rushing yards and another score.
Lamar Jackson Is Headed to Injured Reserve
Jackson’s return from the ankle injury lasted exactly one play.
His throwing hand collided with Bills pass rusher Gregory Rousseau on his first pass attempt Sunday, and the Ravens announced afterward that he would need surgery on his right thumb and be placed on injured reserve.
That move will keep Jackson out for at least four games.
Head coach Jesse Minter has also acknowledged the possibility that the injury could end Jackson’s season.
That leaves Baltimore without its starter and its top backup for the foreseeable future.
Joe Fagnano Gets the Start on Thursday Night
The Ravens are turning to Fagnano.
Minter named the undrafted rookie the starter Tuesday, making him just the second undrafted rookie quarterback in Ravens history to start a game.
Fagnano was forced into action Sunday after both Jackson and Huntley went down. He completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards with an interception and also lost a fumble.
Those numbers were not pretty.
The circumstances were not either.
Fagnano entered against Buffalo with virtually no expectation that he would play meaningful snaps, then had to finish a game in which Baltimore’s offense produced only 144 total yards.
Thursday is different.
He gets the first-team preparation.
He gets the game plan built around him.
And he gets the opportunity to show why Baltimore kept him on the 53-man roster coming out of training camp.
Fagnano Is Banged Up Too
Even Baltimore’s emergency option is not completely healthy.
Fagnano is dealing with an ankle injury suffered on a low hit against Buffalo, though he was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice.
That matters because the Ravens are already operating with almost no margin for another quarterback injury.
Baltimore signed Kedon Slovis from Green Bay’s practice squad and brought Austin Reed back to its own practice squad this week.
Neither has had much time in the current offense.
On a short week, that makes Fagnano the only realistic option.
The Ravens Have to Lean on Derrick Henry
Baltimore cannot ask Fagnano to play like Jackson.
It should not even ask him to play like Huntley.
The offense has to change around him.
That almost certainly means a heavier workload for Derrick Henry, especially against a Jacksonville defense that just lost defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton for the season.
The short-week matchup makes the run game even more important. Fagnano should not be asked to drop back 40 times against a 5-2 Jaguars team that knows exactly how little experience he has.
If Baltimore can stay ahead of the chains, use play action and keep the game from becoming a obvious-passing-down contest, Fagnano has a chance.
If Jacksonville forces him into third-and-long repeatedly, the night could get difficult quickly.
Baltimore’s Season Is at a Crossroads
The Ravens are 4-4.
They have lost three straight.
They are playing one of the better teams in the AFC on four days of rest with an undrafted rookie quarterback who is also nursing an ankle injury.
That is about as difficult a situation as a team can face in early November.
But the season is not over.
Baltimore still has Derrick Henry, Zay Flowers, Mark Andrews and a defense capable of keeping games close.
The question is whether the rest of the roster can carry enough weight while the quarterback position is in crisis.
What Happens Next?
Huntley’s season is over.
Jackson will miss at least four games and could miss the rest of the year.
Fagnano starts Thursday night.
After that, Baltimore will have to decide whether to keep riding with the rookie, accelerate Slovis’ preparation or look outside the organization for another veteran option.
For now, there is no time for a long-term answer.
The Jaguars are coming to Baltimore Thursday night.
Joe Fagnano has the football.
And the Ravens’ season may depend on how quickly he can make the moment feel smaller than it really is.
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