The Ravens Are Running Out of Quarterbacks, and Now Joe Fagnano Has a Bad Ankle

The Baltimore Ravens are currently operating a quarterback room that looks like a triage center, and now their emergency backup is limping into a short week.

According to Ian Rapoport, Ravens head coach Jesse Minter told reporters that rookie quarterback Joe Fagnano "has a chance" to play this Thursday despite dealing with an ankle injury.

"Coach Jesse Minter told reporters Fagnano 'has a chance' to be ready for Thursday."

In NFL coach-speak, "has a chance" usually translates to a medical staff currently trying to duct-tape a player's cleats to his shins. Fagnano was only thrust into the spotlight because the Baltimore depth chart spontaneously combusted over the weekend.

Franchise star Lamar Jackson is headed to injured reserve to undergo thumb surgery, and backup Tyler Huntley also left the field battered. That left Fagnano, a former UConn standout, to take the snaps in a brutal 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Now, the rookie has roughly 72 hours to ice an ankle before a primetime kickoff.

For anyone staring at the Thursday night lines, this is the exact kind of injury update that makes oddsmakers freeze the board. You are not just evaluating a rookie quarterback making a spot start. You are evaluating a hobbled rookie operating an offense that just managed a single touchdown in a blowout loss.

The Ravens are desperately trying to keep their season afloat, but you cannot run a modern NFL offense when your primary game plan is just hoping the guy taking the snap can physically walk to the huddle.

We will find out by Wednesday if Fagnano can actually go, or if Baltimore has to start pulling volunteers from the practice squad parking lot just to field a complete offense.