It’s official. Joe Fagnano will start for the Baltimore Ravens in Week 9. He’s been dealing with an ankle injury since Sunday’s loss and wore a brace/guard during Tuesday’s practice, but Jesse Minter announced the undrafted rookie will make his first career start on Thursday.
“We’re starting Joe at quarterback this week,” Minter said. “[It’s] an opportunity we’re fired up about. Excited to play in front of our fans Thursday night against a really good team.”
Fagnano’s in a tough spot. He’ll become the 33rd undrafted rookie quarterback to start an NFL game since 2000, joining Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jalon Daniels as the second to do it this season. And he’s doing this in a short week.
The UConn product’s number was called out of the blue in Week 8, and he never stood a chance. Fagnano was thrown to the wolves. Despite having minimal time to prepare this week, he’ll at least have a game plan built around his abilities.
This is Fagnano’s first real opportunity. We’re about to see what he’s made of.
Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Fagnano gets first real chance to prove himself in Week 9
Almost everything should be better for Joe Fagnano against the Jacksonville Jaguars. To be blunt, no one expects much from him, but things should go more smoothly.
The 25-year-old has a chance to be physically and mentally ready for when it’s his time to go under center. In Buffalo, he was called in after two quarterbacks got injured; the mood was extremely somber from the first offensive snap. Fagnano could set a much better tone to start in Week 9.
Honestly, any start is better than seeing your starting quarterback leave the game after one snap. If Fagnano can execute Declan Doyle’s opening-drive game script and get off to a hot start, the entire team can feed off that.
The rest of the team will have Fagnano’s back, too. On Tuesday, Fagnano spoke about the impact of having veterans in his corner.
“[They’re] instilling confidence in me, telling me they’ve got my back,” Fagnano said. “Calais has come up to me numerous times now, and having a guy like that who's been in the league for 18 years, his word means a lot.”
Fagnano may also receive much-needed reinforcement up front. Vega Ioane was a limited practice participant on Monday and upgraded to full participation on Tuesday. He sounds ready to play and would be a massive upgrade for an offensive line that desperately needs it.
That offensive front was a big reason why Fagnano couldn’t get going in his debut. The group allowed 28 pressures, 12 QB hits, and 4 sacks. And while Ioane won’t fix that himself, he’s Baltimore’s best offensive lineman. If he can play, he’ll be way better than Andrew Vorhees and Emery Jones Jr.
And who knows, maybe finally having a healthy five of Ronnie Stanley, John Simpson, Cam Jurgens, Vega Ioane, and Roger Rosengarten for an entire game could look like a competitive unit.
Hopefully those guys give Fagnano the protection he needs . As long as he gets enough time to throw, getting the ball into the hands of playmakers like Zay Flowers and Rashod Bateman shouldn’t be that difficult.
The Ravens probably won’t have an explosive offense with Fagnano at the helm. The defense needs to step up, while the rushing attack and quick passing game move the football and keep Jacksonville’s top-10 offense off the field.
Ultimately, the pressure on Fagnano isn’t immense. However, it’ll be interesting to see how things play out on Thursday Night Football against a 5-2 Jaguars team. Could he be Baltimore’s future QB2?
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