Jacoby Brissett is on the verge of his Baltimore Ravens debut, and the timing couldn’t be more important for an offense that has gone flat without Lamar Jackson.
Brissett showed up in black and purple for the first time at Wednesday’s practice, wearing No. 11, the same number once worn by Jordan Stout and Kamar Aiken. Baltimore is asking a lot of him right away: stabilize the huddle, steady the operation and help an offense that has looked lost since Jackson’s back-to-back injuries.
The numbers tell the story. The Ravens haven’t topped 13 points in a game since Week 5, and over their last four matchups they’ve averaged just 11.5 points per game.
That kind of production demands more than a tweak. It needs a reset.
Brissett may not be the flashiest quarterback, but he brings exactly the kind of traits Baltimore needs in this spot. He can make every throw, he’s calm in the pocket and he carries himself like a veteran who’s seen enough football to know how to keep a group together when things start to go sideways.
He’s also been through rough stretches before. Brissett has played for some really bad teams, including the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, but the setup in Baltimore may be the best he’s ever had with Derrick Henry and Zay Flowers around him.
Former Cardinals and Ravens wide receiver Frank Sanders told Kyle Odegard of RG that Brissett should fit in well.
“I think he will do a wonderful job. You just need players around him. Jacoby doesn’t need a whole bunch of help, but he needs some help.”
“[Going from Arizona to Baltimore is] a good advancement for him in his career. He’s in a solid organization.
It’s a solid running game. He’s got an offensive line that is pretty healthy.
Solid defense that doesn’t need to be on the field 70% of the time. It should be good for him.”
That’s the crux of it. If Brissett can make the passing game at least respectable, the rest of Baltimore’s offense should breathe easier. Get the ball to Flowers, move the chains through the air and the running game can start opening up for Henry.
Right now, defenses are crowding the line because they don’t fear Baltimore stretching the field. A stronger arm changes that equation. It should give Flowers more chances and create more space for Henry to work with.
The other piece Brissett brings is presence. Baltimore has not looked like a confident team on offense without Jackson.
Drives stall, the defense gets worn down and the sideline energy turns stiff and scattered. Brissett’s experience could help pull the group back together.
He’s been in the league 11 years and has 73 starts, and at 33, he has the kind of background Tyler Huntley and Joe Fagnano can’t fully replicate. He’s also now with his seventh different team, which means he’s seen plenty of systems and knows how to handle the details that can trip up an offense.
That matters for a Ravens group that has dealt with relentless penalty problems in 2026. False starts, illegal formation, illegal shift, delay of game - the list keeps growing. Brissett’s command could help clean some of that up.
Jesse Minter saw that command up close on Wednesday.
“In our walkthrough today, [Brissett] is a guy that has a commanding presence,” Jesse Minter said in his presser on Wednesday. “Commands the huddle, commands the operation; even being new, puts in all this extra time … I think it’ll be really good for our football team, especially where we’re at right now.”
Jaylinn Hawkins, who played with Brissett on the New England Patriots in 2024, echoed that confidence after practice.
“Jacoby’s a great quarterback,” Hawkins said. “Obviously been in the game for a long time, so a lot of wisdom he can bring to this team. I’m excited to see what he does this Monday.”
Baltimore still has an uphill climb. The schedule is favorable, the Ravens are somehow only one game back of a wild-card spot, and they’ll have to keep pushing without Lamar Jackson until at least Week 15.
Brissett’s first game in a Ravens uniform comes Monday against the winless Los Angeles Chargers, and it should say plenty about whether he can help steady an offense that badly needs one.
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