Ravens finalize the outline of a Jacoby Brissett trade as quarterback injuries mount

The Ravens are trying to patch the quarterback spot before the next turn in the schedule, and the reported target is a familiar one. NFL.com reported Wednesday that Baltimore is finalizing a trade for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett, with the deal expected to be completed over the weekend.

That report matters because it ties the move to an immediate roster problem, not a long-term search. Baltimore lost Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injury this week, leaving the Ravens short-handed enough that a veteran addition became the clearest route to fielding an experienced quarterback again.

Brissett’s status in Arizona changed quickly enough to make him available. Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur announced Monday that Gardner Minshew would be the starter moving forward and rookie Carson Beck would back him up, which pushed Brissett into an emergency third-quarterback role after he had started Arizona’s first eight games.

The demotion followed Sunday’s comeback win over Dallas, but the report does not require readers to treat that game as the sole cause of Arizona’s decision. Brissett was benched during the victory and was 10 of 23 for 119 yards and an interception at the time of the move, while the Cardinals sat at 3-5 when LaFleur made the switch.

Minshew then gave Arizona a different look. Entering with the Cardinals down 17-3, he completed 17 of 23 passes for 188 yards and three touchdowns, led five scoring drives and finished off the 33-30 overtime win with the game-winning march.

That sequence explains why Brissett’s name is now in another trade report, but it does not make the swap automatic. Arizona changed course at quarterback because it wanted a spark, and Baltimore’s injuries created the demand on the other side; those two developments line up neatly, but the reported trade is still described as being finalized rather than completed.

If the deal goes through as reported, Brissett would bring a straightforward kind of value. NFL.com noted that he would reunite with Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfolk, whom he worked with last season in Arizona and in Cleveland in 2022, and described him as a veteran who can pick up an offense quickly and keep the operation moving.

That kind of profile fits the timeline the report lays out. Baltimore will not have Brissett in time for Thursday’s game against Jacksonville, so undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano is expected to start there, but Brissett is expected to be ready by Week 10, when the Ravens face the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.

The report also places the trade in the wider context of Baltimore’s season without overstating what the move can fix. The Ravens are 4-4, have lost three straight and sit last in the AFC North, so the front office is not buying depth for its own sake; it is trying to keep the offense functional while the quarterback room is depleted.

Brissett’s arrival would not resolve every issue, and the report does not suggest otherwise. It would, however, give Baltimore a veteran passer with recent starting experience and a known connection to one of the team’s assistant coaches, which is enough to explain why the Ravens are moving quickly once the Cardinals changed their own depth chart.