Joe Fagnano is the Ravens' starting quarterback for Thursday night. Now it's official.
Head coach Jesse Minter told reporters after Tuesday's practice that the undrafted rookie will make his first career NFL start when Baltimore (4-4) hosts the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (5-2) at M&T Bank Stadium on Thursday Night Football. The announcement confirms what looked inevitable after Sunday's loss in Buffalo, when Fagnano finished the game as the only healthy quarterback left on the roster.
Fagnano becomes just the second undrafted rookie quarterback to start a game for the Ravens in franchise history.
Minter's case for the rookie had more to do with temperament than with Sunday's stat line.
"He's cool, calm, collected. He doesn't really get rattled. He has a really good demeanor," Minter said. "Played in a bunch of games in college. We operated really well when he was in there in the preseason."
Ankle Brace and All, Fagnano Gets the Nod
The decision wasn't quite a formality. Fagnano took a shot to his lower leg in the second half of the 36-10 loss to the Bills, and on Monday Minter stopped short of naming a starter, saying only that the rookie had a chance to play.
Fagnano answered that question on the practice field Tuesday. He worked with a heavy brace on his right ankle, and the injury was evidently mild enough for Minter to make the call without waiting until game day.
That's about where the good news ends for Baltimore's quarterback room. Lamar Jackson is headed to injured reserve and needs surgery on his right thumb, an injury that could cost him the rest of the season. Tyler Huntley, who started three games earlier this fall while Jackson recovered from a high ankle sprain, has been ruled out for Thursday with a toe injury, and Minter indicated Huntley could land on IR as well.
Fagnano: 'It's Special'
Fagnano spoke Tuesday as the starter for the first time, and the moment wasn't lost on him, even with the circumstances that created it.
"It's special. You work a lot to get into this position," he said. "It's unfortunate to see what happened to Lamar and Snoop, especially being two guys that I look up to. But I've had talks with them, it's truly a next man up mentality and my job now is to play to the best of my ability."
The rookie, who spent the past month watching Jackson grind through rehab in the training room, framed Thursday as a responsibility to the locker room more than a personal milestone.
"It's exciting," Fagnano said. "I got guys counting on me to play good football, and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to put my best foot forward. I'm going to prepare the best way I know how and I got trust in the coaching staff to put us in the right position, and I got great players around me."
Ravens Add Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed for Depth
With two quarterbacks down in a single afternoon and a short week ahead, Baltimore moved quickly to rebuild the position behind Fagnano.
Kedon Slovis was signed Tuesday off the Green Bay Packers' practice squad and placed directly on the 53-man roster, making him the likely No. 2 on Thursday. The 25-year-old is best known for his college career, which began with a breakout freshman season at USC in 2019 — he took over as the Trojans' starter after an opening-week injury to JT Daniels and earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week honors twice — before later stops at Pitt and BYU.
Austin Reed returned to the building Monday on the practice squad, with fullback Lucas Scott waived to open the spot. Reed is a familiar face: Baltimore signed him in August after Skylar Thompson went on season-ending injured reserve, and he played in all three preseason games, going 6 of 12 for 59 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The 26-year-old also has history with offensive coordinator Declan Doyle from their time together in Chicago, where Reed spent his 2024 rookie season on the Bears' practice squad after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Western Kentucky.
Neither Slovis nor Reed has thrown a regular-season NFL pass. Neither, until Sunday, had Fagnano.
What Fagnano Showed in His Debut
Fagnano's first NFL action came with no first-team practice reps and the game already slipping away. Entering in the second quarter in Orchard Park, he completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards with an interception, was sacked three times, lost a fumble and added three carries for 3 yards.
There were bright spots early, most notably a first drive that moved Baltimore inside the Buffalo 10 on completions to rookies Josh Cuevas and Ja'Kobi Lane. The offense stalled from there, and it hasn't been alone in that: the Ravens have averaged just 11 points over their last three games, all losses.
That's why Minter pointed to August as much as Sunday. Fagnano ran the offense with some rhythm in the preseason, and with three days to prepare as the starter and actual first-team reps, the Ravens are betting he looks more like that version on Thursday.
Who Is Joe Fagnano?
The 25-year-old from Williamsport, Pa., took the long road to an NFL start. He walked on at Maine in 2019, earned a scholarship and the starting job as a freshman, then transferred to UConn after four seasons. He was the Fenway Bowl offensive MVP in 2024 and closed his college career with a 2025 season that included 3,448 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and a single interception for a 9-3 Huskies team.
Baltimore signed him as an undrafted free agent in April. He beat out Diego Pavia for a roster spot, led all NFL quarterbacks with 509 preseason passing yards, and convinced the Ravens to keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster for the first time since 2020 — a decision that looks a lot smarter this week than it did in September.
A win Thursday would also carry a bit of history: Fagnano would become the first former UConn quarterback to win an NFL start since Dan Orlovsky did it for the Colts in 2011.
The Challenge: A Hot Jacksonville Team on a Short Week
Fagnano won't be eased in. Jacksonville arrives in first place in the AFC South after a 42-7 demolition of Indianapolis on Sunday, a game in which its defense held the Colts to a single touchdown.
Expect Doyle's game plan to lean heavily on Derrick Henry and a run game that has been the most reliable part of Baltimore's offense, with quick, defined reads to keep the rookie out of obvious passing downs. For a Ravens team riding a three-game losing streak and sitting at .500 at the midpoint of the season, the formula matters less than the result.
Kickoff Information
Matchup: Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens (Week 9)
When: Thursday, Nov. 5, 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
TV: Prime Video (national broadcast)
Radio: 98 Rock (97.9 FM) and WBAL NewsRadio (AM 1090 / FM 101.5)
For the latest on Jackson, Huntley and the rest of the roster, follow the Ravens injury report and the Ravens depth chart.