The Baltimore Ravens are facing a nightmare situation at quarterback. The team plays Thursday night this week, and just 48 hours before kickoff, the Ravens still have no idea who their starting quarterback will be against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One possible option could be Kedon Slovis, who was added to Baltimore’s roster on Tuesday after being left off the Packers’ practice squad, according to the Ringer. This signing should give you an idea of how desperate the Ravens are at quarterback this week: Slovis has never started a game in his NFL career, but he might be forced to start this week. If that happens, he’ll take the field with just two practices under his belt in Baltimore.
The Ravens likely wanted to bring in someone familiar with the coaching staff, which would explain their decision to add Slovis. Ravens QB coach Israel Woolfork held the same position in Arizona last season during a year when Slovis was on the roster, so the two know each other well.
The undrafted 2024 rookie has thrown just two passes in his career, and both while working for the Cardinals last season.
The Ravens also brought in 2024 UFL MVP Adrian Martinez for a workout, according to The Athletic. The 26-year-old has played with the 49ers and Jets during his career, but he has only played in one game and that came last season for San Francisco. As of now, Martinez remains unsigned.
Breaking down the Ravens QB situation
If you’re wondering how the Ravens got to the point where they might have to start a player who has thrown just two career passes, it’s because their quarterback team was beaten Sunday in Baltimore’s 36-10 loss to Buffalo.
Lamar Jackson is heading to injured reserve after suffering a thumb injury on Baltimore’s first offensive play of the game. His replacement, Tyler Huntley, is also out after injuring his toe against Buffalo. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano played the majority of the game for the Ravens on Sunday, but he is dealing with an ankle injury and Ravens coach Jesse Minter is unsure of his availability as Baltimore plays a short week.
“To Joe’s credit, he’s kind of battling through some issues that he’s dealing with, but you have to expect that he’ll have a chance to play on Thursday,” Minter said after the team’s Monday practice.
If Fagnano is healthy enough to play, then he will start. The undrafted rookie out of UConn impressed the coaching staff during training camp and ended up earning a roster spot. After being forced into action against the Bills, he went just 10 of 21 for 91 yards with one interception, but that was after a week where he didn’t take any first-team snaps (third-string quarterbacks never get first-team reps during the season). If Fagnano starts this week, Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle will create a game plan more suited to his rookie QB.
If Fagnano can’t go, Baltimore will roll with Slovis or Austin Reed. The Ravens signed Reed to their practice squad on Monday and he knows the offense quite well having spent part of training camp and the preseason in Baltimore before being released in late August. Reed played in all three of Baltimore’s preseason games this year and ended up finishing 6 of 12 for 59 yards with a touchdown and an interception as well as a touchdown.
Reed, who entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2024, has never thrown a pass in a regular season game.
On Slovis’ side, since he was cut from another team’s practice squad, that means he has a guaranteed spot on the Ravens’ 53-man roster this week. If Fagnano plays, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Ravens have three active quarterbacks this week as insurance for the rookie’s injured ankle.
Currently, the Ravens only have three options at quarterback this week and they are all players who went undrafted. There was speculation that the Ravens could try to add Tyson Bagent in a tradebut since the Bears were playing Monday night in Seattle, they probably weren’t willing to trade their backup QB since they needed him for the game. As the Ravens played Thursday night, they needed to add someone quickly, and while they weren’t able to complete a trade, they ended up settling on Reed and Slovis.
The Ravens could still add another quarterback before Thursday, but if they don’t, they’ll have to rely on Fagnano, Reed or Slovis, three guys who have appeared in three career NFL games.
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