Ravens Finalizing Trade for Cardinals Quarterback Jacoby Brissett With Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley Hurt

The Baltimore Ravens are going outside the building for help at quarterback. The Arizona Cardinals are finalizing a trade that sends veteran Jacoby Brissett to Baltimore, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday. The deal is expected to be completed this weekend, and terms have not been reported.

The timing means Brissett will not be ready for Thursday night. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano will still start against the Jacksonville Jaguars at M&T Bank Stadium, and Schefter reported that Brissett is expected to make his Ravens debut in Week 10 on Monday Night Football against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Why Baltimore Needed a Quarterback

Sunday's 36-10 loss in Buffalo emptied the room. Lamar Jackson hurt his right thumb on his first snap and needs surgery that head coach Jesse Minter said could potentially end his season. Tyler Huntley followed with a turf toe injury that ESPN and Pro Football Talk report will end his year. Baltimore spent the first part of this week signing Kedon Slovis and bringing back Austin Reed, but neither has thrown more than two passes in an NFL regular-season game.

At 4-4 after three straight losses, the Ravens still have nine games left, eight after Thursday. Adding Brissett is a sign they intend to stay in the AFC playoff race without Jackson. Minter has talked this week about changing how the team wins, which likely means leaning harder on the defense and the running game. A veteran who can run the offense and avoid mistakes fits that plan.

How Brissett Became Available

Brissett, 33, started Arizona's first eight games this season and threw for 1,719 yards with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Cardinals benched him for Gardner Minshew II last Sunday, and Minshew led a comeback win over the Dallas Cowboys. On Monday, head coach Mike LaFleur named Brissett the No. 3 quarterback behind Minshew and rookie Carson Beck, which made him expendable.

He was productive in Arizona last season, throwing for 3,366 yards, 23 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in 12 starts. Protecting the ball has been his calling card: PFF lists his 1.5% interception rate as the second lowest of any quarterback since 2000 with at least 2,500 attempts, behind only Aaron Rodgers.

Baltimore will be his seventh NFL team. He entered the league as a third-round pick of the New England Patriots in 2016 and has since played for the Colts, Dolphins, Browns, Commanders, a second stint with the Patriots and the Cardinals. He also comes cheap: he entered this season with a $1.3 million base salary, per Spotrac.

By the Numbers

• 8 starts for Arizona this season before the benching.
• 1.5% career interception rate, second only to Aaron Rodgers since 2000 (min. 2,500 attempts, per PFF).
• 7 NFL teams for Brissett once the deal is done.
• 9 games left on Baltimore's schedule, including Thursday's against Jacksonville.

What's Next

Fagnano gets one more start Thursday with Slovis and Reed behind him. Once the trade is official this weekend, Brissett gets about a week to learn the offense before the Chargers come to town on Monday night. If he can protect the ball the way he did in Arizona, Baltimore's season does not have to end with Jackson's thumb.

Sources: ESPN, NFL Network, BaltimoreRavens.com, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, PFF and Spotrac. More NFL coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: Erik Drost via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).