After signing Skylar Thompson earlier this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens seemed to have their QB3 situation figured out. The decision to waive Diego Pavia made Thompson’s grip on that spot even stronger, but that took a turn on Wednesday when the Ravens placed Thompson on injured reserve.
Including Wednesday, Thompson missed three straight days of practice to an injury that was initially reported as a minor issue. Evidently, it was way worse than expected. He won’t be playing for the Ravens this season.
In his place, Baltimore signed former Chicago Bears QB Austin Reed, who will compete with undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano. The team goes from what appeared to be the obvious answer in Thompson to what could be a heated battle between Reed and Fagnano.
Baltimore Ravens have a new heated QB3 battle ready to take place
No one’s truly putting too much stock into the QB3 competition. The Ravens are sitting pretty with Lamar Jackson starting, and Tyler Huntley acting as one of the best backups in the NFL. This team is very comfortable with where they’re at, but as we saw last year, injuries happen.
Reed and Fagnano might not make the team coming out of preseason, as this team tends to keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. However, a practice squad spot will be important. Barring a trade or another signing, those will be the two guys duking it out.
Fagnano may have the leg up given the extra time and reps he’s had at practice. While the UConn product won’t blow you away with his arm strength, he was smart and decisive with the football throughout his college career. Across 24 games, he totaled 48 passing touchdowns and kept the ball out of harm’s way with six interceptions.
Reed, on the other hand, is a pretty interesting case. He was pushed out of the league after being waived by Chicago ahead of the 2025 regular season. Luckily for him, he had a strong fallback plan, joining UFL’s Dallas Renegades. There, he not only continued to work on his craft, but he also played pretty well.
The six-foot-four signal-caller put together a strong showing, finishing the campaign with 1,923 yards (second in the league) and 21 passing touchdowns (first). While he was a bit erratic with nine interceptions and just a 56.3% completion rate, the arm talent is there.
Of course, the answer to Baltimore’s third-string quarterback may very well be neither of these guys. There hasn’t been much spotlight on Fagnano this summer, and Reed was an NFL castoff just a year ago. The opportunity is right in front of them, though, and they must seize it.
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