The Baltimore Ravens placed quarterback Lamar Jackson and backup Tyler Huntley on injured reserve on Thursday, November 5, the team announced ahead of its Thursday night game against Jacksonville. Jackson needs surgery on his right thumb and may miss the rest of the season, while Huntley is out for the year with a turf toe injury — leaving undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano to make his first NFL start tonight.
What we know / What we don’t know
What we know:
- The Ravens placed both Lamar Jackson (right thumb) and Tyler Huntley (turf toe) on injured reserve on Thursday, November 5.
- Jackson injured his throwing thumb on Baltimore’s first offensive snap against Buffalo on Sunday and needs surgery.
- Huntley will miss the rest of the season with his toe injury.
- Rookie Joe Fagnano will start Thursday night against the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars.
- Baltimore is finalizing a trade for veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals.
What we don’t know:
- Whether Jackson will play again this season — reports differ, and the team has not set a return date.
- The exact date of Jackson’s thumb surgery.
- When the Brissett trade will be completed — reports say this weekend.
- Whether Fagnano’s own ankle injury, suffered against Buffalo, will limit him tonight.
Key facts
| Date of IR moves | Thursday, November 5, 2026 |
| Lamar Jackson injury | Right thumb, needs surgery |
| Tyler Huntley injury | Turf toe, out for the season |
| Minimum time out (IR rules) | At least 4 games for each player |
| Ravens’ next 4 games | vs. Jaguars, vs. Chargers, at Panthers, at Texans |
| Earliest Jackson could return | December 13 vs. Tampa Bay |
| Thursday night starter | Joe Fagnano, undrafted rookie |
| Ravens’ record | 4-4, last place in the AFC North |
| Jaguars’ record | 5-2 |
| Jackson’s season so far | 967 passing yards, 7 total touchdowns in 5 games |
How the Ravens lost both quarterbacks in one game
The collapse happened fast. Jackson was returning from a high-ankle sprain that had already cost him three games. On Baltimore’s first offensive play against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, he hurt the thumb on his throwing hand while making a routine pass. He left the field pointing at his thumb, took a knee before reaching the sideline, and disappeared up the tunnel. Baltimore ruled him out before the first quarter ended, and the Bills went on to win 36-10.
Head coach Jesse Minter did not soften the news afterward. “That’ll be a surgery deal. He’ll go to [injured reserve],” Minter said, according to reports from the postgame news conference. The Baltimore Ravens’ own website confirmed on November 3 that Jackson was headed to injured reserve with the right thumb injury, with the exact day for surgery still to be determined.
Then the backup went down too. Huntley came on in relief of Jackson and was hurt shortly after entering the game, suffering a turf toe injury in the second quarter. He was ruled out at halftime. That left Fagnano, an undrafted rookie out of UConn who had never taken an NFL snap and was not even on the active roster that morning — he was listed only as the team’s emergency quarterback — to finish the game. Fagnano hurt his own ankle during the game but played through it.
It was the first time in Jackson’s nine-year career that he has been placed on injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. Jackson is 29 years old, a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player, and in year four of a five-year, $260 million contract.
What injured reserve means for Jackson
Under NFL rules, a player placed on injured reserve must miss at least four games. For Jackson, those four games are Thursday night against Jacksonville, then the Los Angeles Chargers, the Carolina Panthers, and the Houston Texans, followed by the Ravens’ Week 13 bye. The earliest he could play again is December 13 against Tampa Bay.
Whether he plays again at all this season is the open question, and reports differ. NBC Sports reported on Thursday that Jackson “may be out for the rest of the year as well,” while The Ringer described him as out for the season after undergoing surgery. The team itself has not said he is done for the year, and no return date has been set. What is certain is the minimum: four games out, with surgery ahead.
Huntley’s situation is clearer. Multiple reports, including NBC Sports, say the veteran backup will miss the rest of the season with the turf toe injury. Huntley has gone 5-7 in 12 career starts filling in for Jackson, and his loss removes the Ravens’ most experienced fallback at the position.
A rookie starts on Thursday night
With both quarterbacks on injured reserve, the Ravens will start Fagnano against Jacksonville on Thursday Night Football. It will be the first start of his NFL career, four days after his regular-season debut in Buffalo.
Baltimore moved quickly to add depth around him. The team signed Kedon Slovis to the 53-man roster off the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad on Tuesday, and signed Austin Reed to the active roster on Thursday. Reed, who spent training camp and the preseason with Baltimore, will back up Fagnano on Thursday night. Slovis is still learning the playbook — he did not arrive until late Monday night — and has been working with quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork, who coached him in Arizona last season.
The Ravens are also bringing in outside help. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday that Baltimore is finalizing a trade to acquire veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett from the Arizona Cardinals, with the deal expected to be completed this weekend. Brissett, 33, was demoted to third-string in Arizona earlier this week after losing the starting job to Gardner Minshew. He is in line to start for Baltimore after Thursday night, beginning with the Week 10 Monday night game against the Chargers, according to multiple reports.
The kicker position was hit too. Tyler Loop, the Ravens’ kicker, was placed on injured reserve with a right groin injury, and Jake Moody will kick against Jacksonville.
Why it matters
The timing could hardly be worse for Baltimore. The Ravens are 4-4 and in last place in the AFC North after a three-game losing streak, and their season now rests on a rookie quarterback making his first start on national television against a 5-2 Jacksonville team.
The injuries also change the shape of the whole season. Jackson had already missed three games with the ankle injury before Sunday, and this is the second straight season in which injuries have kept him out of multiple games. Baltimore’s offense is built around what its two-time MVP can do, and there is no like-for-like replacement on the roster. Brissett brings experience — this would be his seventh team in 11 years — but he was benched in Arizona just last week.
For fans watching Thursday night, the story is simple: a team that started the season with Super Bowl hopes is now asking an undrafted rookie to keep its season alive. The Ravens are not out of the playoff race at 4-4, but the margin for error is gone. As veteran defensive lineman Calais Campbell put it this week, “We win a couple of games, and we’re still in it.” That job starts with Fagnano on Thursday night.
What happens next
- Thursday night: Fagnano starts against the Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium, with Austin Reed as his backup. Kickoff is Thursday night, November 5.
- This weekend: The Brissett trade is expected to be completed, with the veteran in line to start in Week 10 against the Chargers on Monday Night Football.
- At least four games: Jackson and Huntley cannot return until they have missed four games. Jackson’s earliest possible return is December 13 against Tampa Bay.
- Watch for: An update on Jackson’s surgery date and any word from the team on whether a return this season is realistic.
Sources: Baltimore Ravens official website (News & Notes, November 3, 2026); NBC Sports (November 5, 2026); Pro Football Rumors (November 5, 2026); USA Today Ravens Wire (November 5, 2026). For more on NFL injuries this season, see our report on Chet Holmgren’s 8-10 week absence and the Titans’ blockbuster trade of Jeffery Simmons to the Bears. The first College Football Playoff rankings are also out — Miami is No. 1, Georgia No. 2.
Last updated: November 5, 2026, 4:50 PM ET.
