Undrafted Rookie Joe Fagnano Will Start for Ravens After Two Quarterback Injuries

• Ravens coach Jesse Minter announced Tuesday that undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano will start at quarterback Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars, per CBS Sports.
• Fagnano will be the second undrafted rookie quarterback in Ravens history to start a game, after Anthony Brown in 2022.
• Fagnano made the 53-man roster ahead of fellow undrafted rookie Diego Pavia and passed for 509 yards in the preseason.

An Undrafted Path From OTAs to a Thursday Night Start

Joe Fagnano joined the Baltimore Ravens in the spring after going undrafted out of UConn in the 2026 NFL Draft. On Tuesday, coach Jesse Minter told reporters after practice that the rookie will start at quarterback Thursday night, when the Ravens host the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Week 9 opener.

“We’ll be starting Joe at quarterback this week on Thursday,” Minter said. “An opportunity we’re fired up about. Excited to play in front of our fans Thursday night against a really good team.”

The decision follows a Sunday that left Baltimore without its top two quarterbacks.

An Emergency Third Quarterback Takes Over Against Buffalo

Fagnano was the emergency third quarterback when the Ravens opened their Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills. On the first snap of the day for the Baltimore offense, Lamar Jackson hurt his right thumb on a follow-through and collided with Buffalo pass rusher Greg Rousseau. The injury knocked Jackson out of the game, and Minter said the thumb will require surgery.

Tyler Huntley, the top backup, came in next and could not stay on the field long after a turf toe injury. Fagnano took over for most of the loss. It was his first regular season appearance, and he finished 10 of 21 for 91 yards with an interception.

Minter said Jackson will go on injured reserve. Baltimore is 4-4 and has lost three straight. The Ravens also added quarterback Kedon Slovis to the active roster and Austin Reed to the practice squad this week.

Making the Roster Over Diego Pavia

The path to Thursday started in the offseason, with little room to get noticed. Minter said the crowded quarterback room limited Fagnano’s work in organized team activities, especially on days when every quarterback was there. Then an injury hit the position 10 days before the first preseason game, and Fagnano began to take more reps.

“Going all the way back, it’s a guy that took advantage of opportunities,” Minter said of Fagnano.

Minter said he told all 90 players at training camp that they could play their way onto the team, and he thought Fagnano did that. Over the summer, Fagnano beat out fellow undrafted rookie Diego Pavia for a spot on the opening 53-man roster. “Then, we all obviously saw how he played in the game,” Minter said of the preseason.

In those games, Fagnano completed 56 of 75 passes (74.7%) for 509 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Thursday Night Against the 5-2 Jaguars

Fagnano will become the second undrafted rookie quarterback in Ravens history to start a game. Anthony Brown was the first, in 2022. Jacksonville comes to Baltimore at 5-2.

Fagnano also has an ankle to manage. He appeared to hurt his right ankle against Buffalo and stayed in the game. He was limited in Monday’s practice, then took part fully on Tuesday while wearing a large brace on that ankle.

“Good,” Fagnano said when asked how his ankle is after practice. “Every game you got bumps and bruises. Just football. Physical game we play. Feels good, though.”

Slovis and Reed give the Ravens two more quarterbacks while the two injured passers recover.

Minter took over in January from John Harbaugh, who now coaches the Giants and has questioned a helmet flag against his running back Cam Skattebo. Minter’s first season has brought a Jackson injury, a three-game skid and now a rookie nobody drafted.

Coaches around the league have had to explain their calls this season. Last week Jared Goff defended Dan Campbell’s fourth-and-1 call for the Lions. Minter’s explanation for Thursday was shorter: Fagnano took the chances he was given.

Fagnano’s route to his first NFL start ran through limited OTA reps, a preseason line of 509 yards and a roster spot won from another undrafted rookie. On Thursday night he plays at home, in front of Ravens fans, against the 5-2 Jaguars.