Lamar Jackson is on IR, Tyler Huntley is done, and an undrafted rookie from UConn is now running the Baltimore Ravens offense
The Ravens have lost both of their quarterbacks to injury in the same week, dropped to 4-5 with three straight losses, and now face a franchise crisis that runs well beyond November.
In brief
The Baltimore Ravens are in a full-blown quarterback emergency. Lamar Jackson, the two-time NFL MVP widely regarded as the most dynamic player in the league, is on injured reserve with a fractured right thumb and faces the real possibility that his 2026 season is finished. Backup Tyler Huntley is also done for the year. That has left an undrafted rookie from the University of Connecticut named Joe Fagnano as the starting quarterback of a franchise that entered this season with legitimate Super Bowl ambitions. Baltimore is 4-5, has lost three straight, and the questions now reach far beyond who starts at quarterback next Monday night.
How it all unraveled: one snap, two injuries, three losses
Lamar Jackson's 2026 season is turning into the most injury-filled one of his nine-year career. It started with a high ankle sprain that kept him out for three games. When he finally returned on November 1 against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, it lasted exactly one play. Jackson suffered a right thumb injury on his first play back from that three-game absence. He immediately appeared to be in pain and exited the field holding his right hand. He received medical attention on the sideline before being taken to the locker room and quickly ruled out. He later returned to the sideline in street clothes, sporting a cast on his injured throwing hand.
Following the loss to the Bills, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter revealed that Jackson would undergo surgery to address the thumb injury. Minter also indicated that Jackson would be placed on injured reserve, describing the injury as potentially season-ending. The Emmy-winning star... actually, wrong article.
The Bills game was a disaster by every measure. Buffalo's defense forced three turnovers plus a fourth-down stop, added four sacks, and limited the Ravens to 144 total yards. The final score was 36-10. The Ravens fell to 4-4 with their third straight loss, with Jackson hurt in his return after missing three games with an ankle injury.
Then it got worse. Tyler Huntley, who had been serviceable while replacing Jackson, also suffered a season-ending toe injury. Baltimore, a team built to win now around a quarterback on a contract running through 2027, was suddenly down to its third-string option: a 24-year-old who had never taken an NFL snap in the regular season before November 1.
Who is Joe Fagnano?
UConn quarterback Joe Fagnano, from Williamsport, Pennsylvania, signed a three-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent ahead of the team's rookie mini-camp. Nobody expected him to see the field this soon. Fagnano was a 2025 Heisman Award candidate and a Davey O'Brien Award semifinalist who led the Huskies to a 9-3 record and a bowl berth for the second straight season. He was the 2025 Gold Helmet winner by the New England Football Writers Association and the Offensive Player of the Year by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston.
His college numbers were excellent for a mid-major program. In his final season at UConn, he finished 285-for-413 for 3,448 yards, 28 touchdowns and one interception, with a 161.03 passing efficiency rating. That single interception is the fewest all-time by a quarterback at UConn, and his quarterback rating set a school record. During his UConn career, he completed 423 of 654 passes for 5,252 yards and 48 touchdowns against six interceptions.
His path to this point was anything but straightforward. Fagnano is an undrafted rookie out of Maine and UConn who walked on and played seven years in college. He made the 53-man roster ahead of fellow undrafted rookie Diego Pavia and passed for 509 yards in the preseason. Fagnano signed a three-year, $3.1 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in April 2026.
Ravens coach Jesse Minter announced that Fagnano would start at quarterback Thursday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fagnano became the second undrafted rookie quarterback in Ravens history to start a game, after Anthony Brown in 2022.
His demeanor heading into the start was composed. "It's special," Fagnano told reporters. The rookie revealed that his wife reads plays aloud during their walkthrough sessions, helping him prepare for different situations. He had finished the Bills game, going 10 of 21 for 91 yards with an interception and a lost fumble on a botched snap in his NFL debut. Not a debut to frame, but enough to confirm he could function under pressure.
Thursday night against Jacksonville: a painful audition
The result against the Jaguars was blunt. Jacksonville won 33-10, dropping Baltimore to 4-5. Fagnano threw for 60 yards, Derrick Henry managed 85 rushing yards, and Mark Andrews caught 19 yards worth of passes as the Ravens offense produced almost nothing.
The Jaguars entered as 10-point favorites, and they covered. Besides Fagnano, who had been dealing with an ankle injury himself, the Ravens are down to Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed at quarterback. Austin Reed has no prior NFL action, and Kedon Slovis has one career NFL completion, for negative yards, both signed off the Ravens' practice squad this week.
Baltimore's offensive line against Jacksonville's defensive front was the pivotal matchup. The Ravens' running game had struggled without Jackson, and the offensive line had already gone through many injury-related changes since the start of the season. Baltimore surely wanted to lean on Derrick Henry to make things easier for Fagnano. The Jaguars prevented that.
Since 2019, the Ravens have had a 7-14 record in games Jackson has not started. That number tells you almost everything about how dependent this organization has become on one man.
The contract question hanging over all of this
Even before anyone absorbed the full scope of the injury situation, CBS Sports raised what may be the more uncomfortable subject. Jackson's injury has brought renewed attention to his uncertain contractual situation in Baltimore. His current agreement runs through the 2027 season, but he and the Ravens failed to reach a contract extension before the start of the season.
The Baltimore Ravens suddenly find themselves in an uncomfortable position. The most immediate issue is seeing Lamar Jackson suffer a right thumb injury on his first play back from a three-game absence due to a high ankle sprain. Now, the two-time NFL MVP needs surgery and could be sidelined for the rest of the season.
The Ravens may have some trepidation, particularly as these injuries start to pile up. Before this thumb injury that could knock him out of Baltimore's final nine games of the year, he had already been sidelined for three games with an ankle injury.
Contract extensions for star quarterbacks in the NFL routinely top $60 million per year. Jackson is still one of the best in the league when healthy, and nothing about a thumb injury in a contact sport changes that calculation in the long run. But it does change the leverage at the negotiating table, and both sides know it. The Ravens could also restructure his contract to address his 2027 cap hit as an alternative to a full extension, which gives the front office options but also signals uncertainty about the relationship going forward.
Lamar Jackson: the injury history that now demands scrutiny
Jackson has now missed multiple games because of injury in four of his past six seasons, but it is a flawed narrative to describe him as the NFL's most injured quarterback. He played in 17 games last season, ran for more than 900 yards, and threw 37 touchdown passes. The body of work is extraordinary.
He secured a second MVP award in 2023 while taking the Ravens to their first AFC Championship Game since 2012. Jackson currently ranks second on the NFL's all-time regular-season career passer rating list. Those facts do not expire because of a thumb fracture.
What is fair to say is that the 2026 season has exposed something the Ravens front office has not had to confront directly in years: the gap between Jackson and everyone behind him on the depth chart is so wide that it has effectively made the roster fragile. After Jackson sprained his ankle, the Ravens went from being atop the AFC North at 3-1 to falling to last place in the division at 4-3 heading into their Week 8 game against the Bills. Then they lost Jackson again on that first snap, lost Huntley in the second quarter of the same game, and arrived at a Thursday night home game with a rookie who had never before started a professional football game.
Jackson was ruled out last Saturday after he experienced increased swelling in his injured left ankle. CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson posted on social media that it "came as a shock to the Ravens that Lamar couldn't go." That detail matters. This is not a team that saw a worst-case scenario coming.
What the Ravens do next
The schedule does not get easier. The Chargers come to M&T Bank Stadium on Monday, November 16, before the Ravens travel to Carolina on November 22 and to Houston on November 29. Baltimore then has a bye in Week 13 before hosting Tampa Bay on December 13.
An injury-riddled season has likely come to an abrupt end for Lamar Jackson, forcing the Baltimore Ravens to make a desperation trade. The front office has been scouting the quarterback market. Jacoby Brissett would likely start against the Chargers on November 15 if the Ravens are able to acquire or sign a veteran option, suggesting the organization has no illusion that Fagnano is the answer for the stretch run.
The AFC North is still winnable. It was three weeks ago. At 4-5, with three losses in a row and no clear quarterback solution, the Ravens need to string together wins almost immediately to stay in the conversation. The margin for error that existed when Lamar Jackson was healthy is gone.
Head coach Jesse Minter hinted at a potentially finished season for Jackson while saying his health was in a "decent spot." That phrasing is careful to the point of being almost opaque. What it does not disguise is the arithmetic: Baltimore is now asking an undrafted rookie to win enough games to keep a Super Bowl-caliber roster from an entirely wasted season.
Joe Fagnano completed 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards in his NFL debut and 60 yards in his first start. His wife helps him memorize plays. He walked on at Maine, transferred to UConn, and threw one interception all season in 2025. None of that is a résumé that prepares you for a Thursday night game at M&T Bank Stadium, down two quarterbacks, with a Ravens season on the line.
Rodriquez Wright II is founder and editor-in-chief of Washington DC Magazine and founder of Leo Operations. Photographer, filmmaker, strategist and recording artist. NABJ member.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
