When Joe Fagnano made the Ravens' initial 53-man roster in late August as one of two undrafted rookies, he was surprised. Entering his post-preseason meeting with Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta, Fagnano thought it might spell the end of his time in Baltimore.
But Fagnano, who led the NFL with 509 passing yards in the preseason, had played too well in the eyes of DeCosta, who told the former FCS walk-on that he'd made it. What followed was a stunned look on Fagnano's face and an emotional phone call with his parents, where he delivered the good news.
Speaking to reporters the following day, Fagnano explained his feelings of slight astonishment, but he also projected a high sense of self-confidence.
"I know I am a good football player," he said at the time. "I think I belong in this league."
Now, the fate of Baltimore's final nine games of the 2026 season may belong to him.
With Lamar Jackson (thumb) headed to the injured reserve and Tyler Huntley reportedly being out for the season with a toe injury, Fagnano will be Baltimore's starting quarterback against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday night.
In meeting with reporters after being named the starter, the first question Fagnano got was about how to pronounce his last name. It's "Fin-YAWN-oh," by the way. That's how rapid the Ravens' quarterback situation has changed, but the Ravens are pressing forward.
Fagnano's first career NFL start comes at a critical point. The Ravens, sitting in last place in the AFC North, have lost three straight games (two against division opponents) and are in danger of dropping below .500 for the first time this season.
To make circumstances even less ideal, Fagnano is dealing with an ankle injury (although he was a full participant in Tuesday's practice) and must face the NFL's No. 2 scoring defense on short rest.
Despite the tough road ahead, the Ravens believe in Fagnano for a few reasons.
One part of Fagnano's NFL Draft profile that worked in his favor was his experience; he'd started 45 games across seven collegiate seasons (four with Maine, three with UConn). He also took exceptional care of the ball, as he was intercepted on just 1.6% of his pass attempts.
That experience showed in the preseason, when he commanded Baltimore's offensive operation at a high level and threw just one interception in 75 pass attempts.
"He's cool, calm and collected; [he] doesn't really get rattled, has a really good demeanor [and] played in a bunch of games in college," Head Coach Jesse Minter said. "I thought we operated really well when he was in there in the preseason, just from time on the play clock and penalties and substitutions. So, you certainly feel good about it."
The experience didn't show up nearly as well in Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills when Fagnano entered the game after Huntley went down in the second quarter. While under siege for most of the afternoon (Buffalo was credited with a whopping 30 quarterback pressures, per Next Gen Stats), Fagnano completed just 10 of 21 passes for 91 yards while throwing an interception and losing a fumble in Baltimore's 26-point loss.
Even amid the struggles were veteran moments. Fagnano completed a few passes down the field under heavy duress, including a 22-yard strike to Rashod Bateman as Fagnano got hit low by Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver, who was flagged for roughing the passer.
Unlike last Sunday, when Fagnano was tossed into action unexpectedly, Fagnano will have a few days to prepare as the Ravens' No. 1 quarterback leading up to the Jaguars game, which Minter said is a "huge help."
When it comes to preparation, Fagnano takes his job very seriously.
"Every walkthrough and every meeting, I'm locked in as if I was preparing to be a starter. That's how you have to be in this league," Fagnano said. "You know you're one play away at all times."
Fagnano and his wife, Lydia, go through walkthroughs in their living room that feature her reading plays.
"She probably knows the playbook just as well as us at this point," Fagnano said with a chuckle.
His work behind the scenes has helped earn the trust of top wideout Zay Flowers.
"He knows the playbook by heart," wide receiver Zay Flowers said. "He knows everything, so we are pretty confident in him calling the plays and going out and making the right decisions because we've seen him operate in the preseason. We think he'll do a good job. We just have to make some plays and help him out."
More tenured players like defensive lineman Calais Campbell have shown Fagnano support, too.
"Calais has come up to me numerous times now. Having a guy like that that's been in the league for 18 years, his word means a lot," Fagnano said. "He's just saying, even in the middle of the game he's coming up to me, he's like, 'Hey, I've seen you work at practice, I've seen this, like, I know you can play.' Then, Derrick Henry [is] behind me telling me he's got my back.
"When you have guys coming up like that that are future Hall of Famers, it means a lot."
Fagnano is stepping into tough circumstances on a short week while banged up himself, but he's used to adversity. He walked on at Maine and, despite putting together a solid four seasons with the Black Bears and another three at UConn, went through the draft cycle with little fanfare. He arrived in Owings Mills on a tryout for an organization that rarely ever kept three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster.
And yet, he still made it.
The Ravens hope that Fagnano, who DeCosta called "Cinderella Man," can handle adversity once more, add another memorable chapter to his story and buoy the Ravens' season.
"It's special. It's really the only way I can think about it," Fagnano said of his new opportunity. "You work a lot to get into this position.
"I guess being an undrafted guy and coming in as a rookie, you could look at it as a developmental year, but I don't look at it like that. It's another year, and I have guys counting on me to play good football and that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to put my best foot forward. I'm going to play as best as I can. I'm going to prepare the best way that I know how, and I have trust in the coaching staff. They're going to put us in the right position. I've got great players around me — I don't need to name names, I think we know who. But how can you not be confident going into a game like that?"
