Joe Fagnano's tenure as an NFL starter might be an abridged one.
With the Baltimore Ravens losing starting quarterback Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley to likely season-ending injuries, Fagnano was called upon to fill in for Thursday night's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But the undrafted rookie from UConn might not hold the reins to the offense much longer than that.
On Wednesday, the Ravens were finalizing a trade with the Arizona Cardinals to acquire veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The deal still leaves Fagnano in line to be the first-stringer for Thursday. But with an extended break before the Week 10 "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Brissett is the logical candidate to take over for that
tilt − and the rest of the season.
Still, Fagnano could play a significant role in shaping a turbulent campaign for Baltimore.
Who is Joe Fagnano?
After beginning his career as a walk-on at Maine and then transferring to UConn after four years, Fagnano enjoyed a remarkably efficient season as a seventh-year senior in 2025, when he threw for 3,448 yards and 28 touchdowns with just one interception.
That was enough to earn him invites to the East-West Shrine Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine. In the 2026 NFL Draft, however, Fagnano was not selected.
Though he joined the Ravens shortly after, his signing was overshadowed by Diego Pavia, the Heisman Trophy runner-up who also joined the team as a free agent. Pavia, however, was waived by the Ravens in late July. Fagnano would go on to lead all quarterbacks in passing yards in the preseason en route to securing a spot on the 53-man roster.
His inaugural pro season figured to be spent primarily watching Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP, and possibly Huntley, who has established himself as one of the league's more reliable backups. But in last week's loss to the Buffalo Bills, the former exited with a thumb injury after just one play, and the latter was sidelined by a turf toe injury.
That left Fagnano to make his debut in suboptimal circumstances. In his first pro action, Fagnano completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards and an interception.
Even though the 6-foot-3, 226-pound passer suffered an ankle injury and now will face a stifling Jaguars defense, Baltimore is still keeping its faith in Fagnano.
"He's cool, calm and collected," Ravens coach Jesse Minter said this week. "(He) doesn't really get rattled, has a really good demeanor (and he's) played in a bunch of games in college."
Who is Ravens' backup? QB depth chart for Jaguars game
Baltimore has not revealed who will serve as the backup for Thursday's game. Kedon Slovis is on the active roster after being signed off the Green Bay Packers' squad this week, while Austin Reed remains on the practice squad.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Joe Fagnano? Meet undrafted rookie QB making first start for Ravens
