In a season filled with quarterback issues, what should the Baltimore Ravens do next?

At the beginning of the 2026 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens were a clear favorite to win the AFC North. Now in the ninth week of the season, the Baltimore Ravens sit at the bottom of the division. Read more: In a season filled with quarterback issues, what should the Baltimore Ravens do next?

The division ended up being a lot more competitive than expected. Aaron Rodgers is having a stellar season in what might be his last; the Bengals have stayed healthy, and the Browns have found a way to play good football.

Meanwhile for the Ravens, it had a great start to the season. However, it is currently on a lengthy losing streak, after being defeated in its fourth straight game by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday, 33-10.

The biggest issue for the Ravens is the issue it had this past season. Its quarterback room cannot stay healthy.

Top options head to IR

The issues for the Ravens began in Week 4 when Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle injury against the Tennessee Titans. For three weeks, the Ravens turned to its serviceable backup, Tyler Huntley, while Jackson recovered.

In Week 8, Lamar Jackson was set to return against the Buffalo Bills. However, after one snap, Jackson was removed from the game with a right thumb injury.

This is not the first season that the two-time MVP has dealt with injuries. Most recently in 2025, the Ravens lost Jackson for four games following a Grade 1 hamstring sprain and a deep-tissue back contusion.

Currently, there is no timetable for Jackson’s return.

With a return for Jackson not ruled out later in the season, the Ravens were once again ready to turn to Tyler Huntley to try and keep the season alive. However, in the game against the Bills, Huntley also suffered an injury that sent him to IR.

Huntley was diagnosed with a severe turf toe injury, and he is out for the remainder of the season.

Huntley has dealt with injuries before, but the most recent one was in 2024. In most cases, turning to Huntley when Jackson went down was always a safe bet. Now, Baltimore has had to search for other options with both players down.

A rookie and a trade

When Tyler Hunter went down against the Bills, the Ravens sent out rookie Joe Fagnano for his NFL debut.

Fagnano was signed by the Baltimore Ravens after he went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. He spent his collegiate career with Maine from 2019-22 and finished his career with UConn from 2023-25.

Fagnano came in just before halftime against the Bills and finished the game with 10 completions, 91 passing yards, and an interception.

Following the rookie's performance, the Ravens announced that he would be the starting quarterback for Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football. However, the Ravens also traded for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Wednesday, giving Fagnano a competitor.

The Ravens sent the Cardinals a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick to acquire Brissett.

Brissett can be considered a journeyman of the league. After 11 years in the league, he has played for seven teams.

With the Cardinals this season, Brissett went 3-5 as a starter. However, the Cardinals' most recent win would be more attributed to fellow journeyman Gardner Minshew, who took over for Brissett later in the game.

More on rookie and trade

Brissett also made waves at the beginning of the season when he held out following a contract dispute with the Cardinals. It was settled, and Brissett was the Week 1 starter, but the Cardinals have still chosen to move on with Minshew.

Following the 33-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it certainly looks like Fagnano is in danger of quickly losing his starting job. He threw two interceptions and only completed 10 passes for 60 yards.

Brissett has not necessarily been a standout in the league, but he has thrown a total of 1,719 yards and 10 touchdowns. Perhaps a change of scenery might be what Brissett needs to turn the tide for his season.

The Ravens are yet to officially announce a starter for Week 10.

What’s next for Lamar Jackson

Brissett is certainly not a replacement for Jackson. It will, however, be interesting to see what Jackson and the Ravens do in the future.

In recent years, there has been speculation of Jackson leaving Baltimore, but ultimately, he has always stayed. With Jackson and the Ravens disappointing these past couple of years, it will be interesting to see if the change might finally come.

Jackson is still signed through the end of the 2027 season. This means he will not be a free agent until March 2028. Therefore, if a move were to come this offseason, it would come via a trade.

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Perhaps if Jackson starts to indicate he will not re-sign, maybe the Ravens will trade him to receive some sort of capital.

Reportedly, it is still the Ravens’ intention to have extension talks with Jackson, and they hope he stays. Jackson said in May 2026 that he loves the organization and hopes to stay in Baltimore.

Many outlets also predict that an extension for Jackson would end up being record-breaking.

So, at the moment, Ravens fans do not necessarily need to fret. The main concern would be; can Jackson recover from the struggles of the past few seasons and win the Ravens' third Super Bowl?

Time will tell if the season can be saved or if we will even see Lamar again this year. For now, it certainly looks as if the Ravens are in danger of missing a second consecutive offseason.