Who is Ravens' Joe Fagnano? Baltimore turns to third QB after Lamar Jackson, Tyler Huntley injuries

Baltimore is down to its third-string quarterback, an undrafted rookie

Nov 1, 2026 at 2:51 pm ET • 1 min read

The Ravens' quarterback issues went from awful to somehow even worse in a hurry in a crucial Week 8 meeting against the Bills. After Lamar Jackson, in his first game back from an ankle injury, injured his thumb on Baltimore's first offensive play of the game, backup Tyler Huntley got hurt in the second quarter. The Ravens had to turn to emergency third-string quarterback Joe Fagnano, a rookie undrafted free agent out of UConn.

Jackson hit his thumb on Gregory Rousseau and immediately went to the locker room. Huntley, who started the Ravens' previous three games with Jackson sidelined, then got his foot caught/rolled up on by Ed Oliver.

Huntley is officially questionable to return. In his place, Fagnano finished the half with 50 yards on 5-of-8 passing and one interception.

Who is Joe Fagnano?

Though Fagnano is making his NFL debut Sunday, he has played a lot of football. A rare 25-year-old rookie, Fagnano started his collegiate career as a walk-on at Maine, an FCS program, in 2019. He earned the backup quarterback job — and a scholarship — quickly, though. Like his NFL debut, his college debut came after the starter got hurt. One week later, in his first collegiate start, Fagnano threw five touchdown passes in an upset win over FBS program Liberty.

The Black Bears only played four games in the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and Fagnano got hurt in 2021 and only played in four games. After a solid 2022 season, he transferred to UConn.

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury two games into his debut season at UConn, Fagnano played most of 2024. He got on NFL radars with an outstanding 2025 that included 28 passing touchdowns, one interception and 3,448 passing yards.

The Ravens invited Fagnano to a rookie tryout, where he beat out Diego Pavia for an opportunity to spend the summer with Baltimore. He capitalized with a strong preseason that included a nearly 75% completion percentage, three touchdowns and one interception.

Now, all of a sudden, he's trying to halt Baltimore's two-game losing streak. According to the CBS broadcast, running back Justice Hill would be the emergency quarterback to the emergency quarterback if Fagnano gets injured as well.