With Lamar Jackson headed for thumb surgery and injured reserve, the Baltimore Ravens have about four days to find a quarterback. Jackson got hurt on the first offensive snap of Sunday’s 36-10 loss in Buffalo, in his first game back from a high ankle sprain. Backup Tyler Huntley, who started the previous three games, followed him to the locker room in the second quarter with a toe injury.
That left undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to finish the game. He went 10 of 21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble in his NFL debut, and he could be an option to start Thursday night against the first-place Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium. Head coach Jesse Minter didn’t sugarcoat Jackson’s situation after the game.
“That’ll be a surgery deal,” Minter said. “He’ll go to IR. That’s a tough deal.”
Minter said the injury could “potentially” end Jackson’s season and offered only “we’ll see” on Huntley, who reportedly has turf toe and is set for an MRI. Baltimore is 4-4 after a third straight loss, and it will want a veteran in Owings Mills no matter what the MRI shows. Here are six who could be signed this week.
Jimmy Garoppolo
Garoppolo is the most accomplished quarterback on the market. He’s 43-21 in 64 career starts and has completed 67.4% of his passes for 15,828 yards, 96 touchdown passes and 52 interceptions. He started Super Bowl 54 for the 49ers and won two rings as Tom Brady’s backup in New England.
Garoppolo, who turned 35 Monday, spent the last two seasons behind Matthew Stafford with the Rams and considered retirement this offseason, but he was reported in August to be open to playing in 2026. He won’t run like Jackson, but he could get the ball out on time and lean on Derrick Henry, who has struggled in short yardage lately and could use a quarterback defenses respect through the air.
Cooper Rush
Charles LeClaire - Imagn Images
Rush already knows the building. Baltimore signed him to a two-year, $6.2 million deal in 2025 and released him in March after re-signing Huntley. He made four appearances with two starts last season, completing 34 of 52 passes for 303 yards with no touchdown passes and four interceptions. He then signed with the Atlanta Falcons in July, threw for 229 yards with one touchdown pass and four interceptions in two starts before being released Oct. 19.
That stint ended with him benched in a loss to the Rams. His case rests on what he did in Dallas, where he went 9-5 as a starter, including 4-4 in 2024. He’d still have to learn offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s system on a short week.
Josh Johnson
Johnson, 40, has already been through Baltimore three times, in 2016, 2021 and from 2023-24. He’s on the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad, so the Ravens would have to put him on their 53-man roster to bring him over.
All three of those stints came under John Harbaugh, but general manager Eric DeCosta knows him well. Johnson has made 11 career starts, including two for the Washington Commanders last season, when he threw one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Pulling a quarterback off an AFC North rival’s practice squad would be a little extra satisfaction for a fan base that just watched the Bengals beat the Ravens in Week 7.
Bailey Zappe
© Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
The New York Jets released Zappe on Sept. 22 when they signed Will Levis to their practice squad. At 27, he’s the youngest of the veterans available, and he has nine career starts.
He went 4-4 as a starter for the New England Patriots across 2022 and 2023, then made one start for the Cleveland Browns in 2024, a loss to the Ravens. He has 12 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions in 15 career games.
Brandon Allen
Tennessee Titans quarterbacks Brandon Allen (10), Will Levis (8) and Cam Ward
Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The New York Giants cut Allen on Aug. 30, days before the season, and turned to Jake Haener after Jaxson Dart’s knee injury. The 34-year-old is 2-8 in 10 career starts with 11 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
Jacksonville drafted him in the sixth round in 2016, and he has also spent time with the Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, Bengals and Denver Broncos. He backed up Cam Ward in Tennessee last season. His most extended action came with Cincinnati in 2020, when he made five starts and threw for more than 900 yards.
Clayton Tune
© Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Tune has the thinnest résumé in the group. The Arizona Cardinals drafted him in the fifth round in 2023, and he has made two career starts, one with Arizona and one with the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 last season.
He has completed 21 of 38 passes for 112 yards with no touchdown passes and three interceptions in 15 career games. Tune would be a depth signing more than a starting option, but Baltimore may need a third quarterback behind Fagnano if Huntley misses time.
Others to consider
Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Easton Stick is sitting on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad. He was the Los Angeles Chargers’ backup in 2024, when Minter was their defensive coordinator, and he went 0-4 in four starts in 2023 while completing 63.8% of his passes for 1,129 yards, three touchdown passes and one interception.
Jeff Driskel is 1-10 in 11 career starts, with 16 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in 25 games. He finished last season with Washington and hasn’t played in a game since 2024. Whoever Baltimore lands will be learning the playbook on the fly, and Huntley’s MRI will go a long way toward deciding whether the new arrival holds a clipboard or takes snaps.
More on the Baltimore Ravens
- The Ravens Could Be Reaching A Crossroads In The Lamar Jackson Era
- Who Is Joe Fagnano? Ravens Rookie QB Could Face Jaguars With Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley Hurt
- Lamar Jackson Injury Update Suggests Ravens Have a Serious Quarterback Problem
- How to Watch Ravens vs Bills for Free: NFL Week 8, Live Stream, TV Channel
