The Ravens have reached the kind of quarterback crisis that can flatten a season in a hurry. After three straight losses, Baltimore sits at 4-4 and in last place in the AFC North, with Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley both sidelined and the depth chart stretched to the edge.
Jackson, a two-time MVP, had already missed three games with a high ankle sprain before hurting his thumb early in the Week 8 blowout loss at Buffalo. That injury is expected to send him to injured reserve, with a strong chance he misses the rest of the season.
Huntley, dealing with turf toe, is also set to miss multiple games after getting hurt against the Bills. That left undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to finish the game as the emergency third quarterback, and Baltimore never had a real shot to keep up offensively.
Now the Ravens have to pivot fast. They host the 5-2 AFC South-leading Jaguars on Thursday night to open Week 9, and they need some kind of answer at quarterback just to stay competitive.
Huntley hasn’t been effective filling in for Jackson in Declan Doyle’s offense, which only sharpens the urgency. With the league-wide Nov. 10 deadline approaching, Baltimore may have to look outside the building for help.
Here are six trade targets that fit the bill.
Jacoby Brissett is the cleanest fit on paper. He was Arizona’s starter for much of the last two seasons before being benched in Sunday’s Week 8 game at Dallas, where Gardner Minshew sparked an epic comeback and rookie Carson Beck remains in the wings.
Brissett has a reputation as a quick study in a lot of offenses, and he could at least steady the passing game enough to keep defenses from loading up on Derrick Henry and the run. He’s under contract only through this season, which gives Arizona a chance to turn him into a draft asset.
Tyson Bagent is another name to watch. Chicago is said to want to be aggressive at the deadline, and Baltimore’s situation gives the Bears a chance to get fair value for their No. 2 quarterback.
Bagent also would reunite with Doyle, who served as Chicago’s offensive coordinator under Ben Johnson last season. In that system, he could be competent enough to keep the Ravens in games.
Anthony Richardson offers a different kind of upside. Baltimore should at least call the Colts about him, especially if it wants to bring back the rushing element Jackson gives the offense under Doyle.
At minimum, it would be a low-risk move that wouldn’t cost much for a half-season look. At best, Richardson could grow into a better long-term backup for Jackson.
Marcus Mariota makes sense as a veteran option. Washington likes him as the super-sub behind oft-injured Jayden Daniels, but the Commanders also should be thinking about draft assets at the deadline. That could open the door for a move across the beltway to Baltimore, with rookie seventh-rounder Athan Kaliakmanis stepping into the No. 2 role if Daniels gets hurt again.
Jalen Milroe is the developmental swing. Seattle has reason to be active at the deadline, with Sam Darnold struggling with interceptions and Drew Lock already in place as a capable backup. Milroe brings the athletic profile that makes him an intriguing Richardson-like project as a future backup for Jackson.
Shedeur Sanders rounds out the list, and the fit carries a little extra intrigue because the Ravens were once most attached to drafting him last year, and he wanted the chance to shadow Jackson. Cleveland has made an unofficial declaration that it will trade neither Sanders nor Dillon Gabriel behind Deshaun Watson, with whom the Browns are 5-3 this season under former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. Even so, desperation can change minds, and the Browns did deal Joe Flacco to the Bengals last October.
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For a Ravens team that has already had to navigate a difficult stretch without Jackson, the timing could hardly be worse. His presence changes everything for Baltimore, from the game plan to the mood around the roster, and every scare only adds to the uncertainty hanging over a season that already has people wondering about the bigger picture, including what comes next with Jacksons contract situation. [Read more 🡒]