Lamar Jackson to Undergo Thumb Surgery, Placed on Injured Reserve as Ravens' QB Depth Worsens

Lamar Jackson will undergo thumb surgery and be placed on injured reserve after the Baltimore Ravens quarterback was hurt on the team’s first offensive play in Sunday’s 36-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills, leaving Baltimore with an immediate depth problem at the game’s most important position.

The situation worsened quickly for the Ravens, who also lost backup Tyler Huntley to a toe injury in the second quarter. Huntley was due for an MRI, and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, Baltimore’s No. 3 quarterback, entered in relief and finished the game in his NFL debut. The Ravens, now on a short week, are scheduled to host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.

Jackson was injured after contact with Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau on Baltimore’s opening snap and was later ruled out with a right-thumb injury. Ravens head coach Jesse Minter said via the team’s postgame report, “It’s tough. When it happened, I think at the time, you’re just hoping that maybe it’s something small, and then I think pretty quickly kind of realized what had happened.” Jackson returned to the sideline in the third quarter with a cast on his right hand.

Under current NFL rules, a player placed on injured reserve must miss at least four games before he is eligible to return, making Jackson unavailable beyond this week at a minimum. Asked whether the injury could be season-ending, Minter said “potentially.” For Baltimore, the loss is especially significant because Jackson is the franchise quarterback and a two-time AP NFL MVP.

The Ravens are 4-4 after their third straight loss, and Jackson’s latest setback came just as he had returned from another absence. He had missed three games earlier this season with a high ankle sprain suffered against Tennessee on Oct. 4, then started against Buffalo before exiting on the first snap. By halftime Sunday, Baltimore had already used three quarterbacks, becoming the first team since the 2017 Dallas Cowboys to have three different players throw a pass before halftime of the same game, according to ESPN research cited in Ravens coverage.

Baltimore now heads into a compressed stretch with uncertainty behind center and little time to sort through it. If Huntley also misses time, the Ravens may need to add quarterback depth, with the next key date arriving quickly: the NFL trade deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 4 p.m. ET.