For most NFL players, roster cutdown day is a test of patience and a battle against anxiety. For Joe Fagnano and Ethan Burke, it was also a lesson in uncertainty. Two undrafted Baltimore Ravens rookies entered training camp facing long odds. Both spent the summer forcing their way into the conversation. They did so with constant effort and strong performances under the bright lights.
Neither knew whether that work would be enough when the Ravens finalizedtheir initial 53-man roster. In the end, both earned spots on the team, continuing Baltimore's long tradition of uncovering undrafted talent. What makes their stories even more interesting is what was going through their minds before the moment of truth arrived.
Joe Fagnano admits to expecting bad news.
Joe Fagnano's reaction to making
the roster quickly became one of the feel-good moments of roster cutdown weekend. He spoke with the media and admitted that when he received word to report to Eric DeCosta's office, his mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario.
"I didn't know what to expect. Obviously, [it was my] first time going through cut day. [I was] just trying to stay busy throughout the day. [I] got the call to come into the office. My head immediately went to, 'Oh man, this might be it,' and then I went in there and [executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta] said, 'You made the team.' Obviously, there's a video out there that shows my emotions on how I felt about the interaction, and it was super cool. It was good to be out at practice today and just back to playing football."
The concern was understandable. Fagnano arrived facing long odds in a crowded quarterback room where he initially received limited opportunities. When those opportunities finally came, he made the most of them, leading the NFL in preseason passing yards and convincing the Ravens he was too valuable to risk losing.
Even then, certainty never arrived. As he later admitted, veterans had spent weeks telling him that "no news is good news." Receiving a call to the general manager's office naturally triggered a different thought process. In this case, things worked out in his favor.
Ethan Burke chose acceptance.
Burke approached the same situation from a different angle. During his chat with the press, he stated, like Fagnano, he entered DeCosta's office without knowing what awaited him. Unlike Fagnano, he wasn't trying to predict the outcome.
"You just don't know what to expect. You just have to hope for the best. Know that you've put in the work, and that whatever happens, happens, and everything works out and everything happens for a reason."
The answer perfectly reflects the mindset Burke displayed throughout training camp. Rather than worrying about roster projections, depth-chart math, or how many outside linebackers the Ravens might keep, Burke focused on controlling what he could control. The approach helped him earn one of the final roster spots in a crowded edge-rusher room.
Head coach Jesse Minter spoke with the media later. He praised Fagnano and Burke for doing exactly that, ignoring the noise and playing his way onto the team.
"These guys just played their way onto the roster. [They] did not worry about the numbers and people saying, 'Well, they will only keep this amount at this position,' or, 'This guy was whatever.' Those guys did not worry about any of that and played their way onto the roster, and it is major credit to them."
Their responses were different, but the common thread is impossible to miss. Neither player knew what would happen when they walked into DeCosta's office. Both believed they had done everything possible to earn a roster spot. A few moments later, both learned they were officially Baltimore Ravens. For two undrafted rookies who spent the summer defying expectations, that uncertainty made the news even sweeter.
Now comes another reality. The work is just beginning.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Joe Fagnano, Ethan Burke recall tense Ravens roster moment with Eric DeCosta
