The Baltimore Ravens are moving quickly to stabilize their depleted quarterback room ahead of a critical primetime matchup, agreeing to sign quarterback Kedon Slovis off the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad. The roster move, initially reported on Tuesday, comes at a precarious moment for the franchise as they prepare for a short turnaround before hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday Night Football.
Slovis’s arrival on Baltimore’s 53-man roster arrives mere days after a disastrous afternoon in upstate New York that left the Ravens battered, bruised, and searching for answers under center. Entering the upcoming contest with a 4-4 record, the Ravens find themselves facing a formidable Jacksonville Jaguars squad boasting a 5-2 mark without the services of their franchise centerpiece, star quarterback Lamar Jackson, and his primary veteran backup, Tyler Huntley.
The cascading series of physical setbacks that prompted the Ravens to scour the league for available talent began during Sunday’s 36-10 blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills. In that lopsided defeat, both Jackson and Huntley sustained injuries that left the team scrambling on the sidelines. Jackson, the dynamic former Most Valuable Player whose dual-threat abilities anchor the entire Baltimore offense, is currently sidelined with a thumb injury. Meanwhile, veteran backup Tyler Huntley, who has frequently stepped in to captain the offense during previous absences, is dealing with a toe injury that rendered him unavailable for the upcoming short-week preparation.
With both top signal-callers physically incapacitated during the game against Buffalo, the Ravens were forced to turn to an unexpected option. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano was thrust into action, taking over emergency quarterback duties under high-pressure circumstances. For Fagnano, the sudden elevation to the professional stage marked an abrupt baptism by fire, but his afternoon was further complicated by physical misfortune.
Fagnano, 25, suffered an ankle injury during the course of the game against the Bills. Following the team’s return to Maryland, he was listed only as a limited participant during Monday’s walk-through practice, casting serious doubt on his availability or readiness to shoulder the offensive load on Thursday night. During his emergency relief appearance in Buffalo, Fagnano completed 10 of his 21 passing attempts for 91 yards, while also throwing an interception and losing a fumble as the Ravens’ offense stalled out against a dominant Bills defense.
Recognizing the extreme vulnerability of their depth chart, the Ravens front office and coaching staff worked swiftly at the start of the week to orchestrate emergency additions. On Monday, the day before news broke regarding Slovis, Baltimore signed 26-year-old quarterback Austin Reed to their practice squad. Reed brings a small measure of familiarity to the organization, having spent training camp with the Ravens earlier in the year. During that stint in the preseason, Reed saw action in three exhibition games, completing 6 of 12 passes for 59 yards, including one touchdown pass and one interception. Prior to his time in Baltimore, Reed spent both the 2024 and 2025 seasons within the Chicago Bears organization, though he was ultimately released at the conclusion of training camp in each of those years.
While Reed provides a known commodity on the practice squad, the decision to poach Kedon Slovis directly from Green Bay’s practice squad signals that the Ravens believe they need immediate, active-roster help who can potentially absorb enough of the playbook to dress—or even play—on Thursday night.
Slovis, 25, entered the professional ranks as an undrafted free agent in 2024 following a collegiate journey that included stops at notable NCAA programs. After attempting to establish a foothold in the league, Slovis eventually found regular-season action during the 2025 campaign, when he appeared in two games for the Arizona Cardinals. During those brief appearances, he completed one pass for minus-2 yards. The Cardinals ultimately elected to release him on August 30, and he quickly caught on with the Green Bay Packers, signing to their practice squad just two days later on September 1.
Beyond his brief stint in Arizona and his recent time in Green Bay, Slovis carries an existing professional relationship with a key member of the Ravens’ coaching staff that could accelerate his integration into Baltimore’s offensive scheme. Ravens quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork previously served as Slovis’s position coach with the Cardinals during the 2025 season. That pre-existing familiarity between coach and player is expected to ease the steep learning curve Slovis faces as he joins a new franchise in the middle of a game week, tasked with mastering terminology and concepts in a matter of hours.
The rapid acquisition highlights the volatile nature of the National Football League season, where depth is tested on a weekly basis and front offices must react with lightning speed to unforeseen injuries. For the Ravens, the immediate focus shifts entirely to Thursday night at M&T Bank Stadium, where they must host the Jacksonville Jaguars. Whether Slovis will be asked to step onto the field immediately, or simply serve as an emergency insurance policy while the training staff works around the clock to evaluate the health of Fagnano, remains to be seen. What is certain is that Baltimore’s quarterback room will feature an entirely new face as the team looks to weather a severe injury storm and keep their season on track.