The Ravens made it official Thursday: Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley are on injured reserve, so both quarterbacks will miss at least four games. To fill the spot, Baltimore signed Austin Reed to the 53-man roster, the team announced a few hours before Thursday night’s game against the Jaguars.
Neither IR move was a surprise. Jackson hurt his right thumb in the first half of Sunday’s loss in Buffalo, and Huntley injured his toe in the same game. Huntley’s turf toe is reportedly season-ending. According to the Ravens’ site, Jackson hadn’t had surgery as of Tuesday, and he could miss the rest of the season.
So, who’s left at quarterback?
Three players, none with much of an NFL résumé. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano makes his first career start tonight. Behind him are Reed, who spent the preseason in Baltimore and rejoined the practice squad Monday, and Kedon Slovis, who was signed off Green Bay’s practice squad this week. CBS Sports lists all three as available against Jacksonville. Head coach Jesse Minter hasn’t named a No. 2.
The changes didn’t stop at quarterback. Baltimore elevated kicker Jake Moody and outside linebacker Adisa Isaac from the practice squad for the game. Moody, playing his first game of the season, steps in for Tyler Loop, who is on IR with a right groin injury, per the team.
Reinforcements are on the way, just not yet. The Ravens are reportedly finalizing a trade for Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, but the team’s site says he wouldn’t make his debut until Monday, Nov. 16, against the Chargers.
Why it matters
Our read at McGraw Media: four games is the minimum for Jackson, and the team’s own wording about possibly missing the rest of the season tells you it may be much longer. Tonight, Baltimore goes in with a rookie making his first start, two quarterbacks who joined the roster this week and a kicker who hasn’t played a down this year. That’s a lot to ask of the defense and the run game. If the Brissett deal closes on schedule, the Chargers game becomes the real start of Plan B. Until then, the Ravens just have to survive.
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