Skylar Thompson was placed on injured reserve by the Baltimore Ravens after signing a one-year contract with the team this offseason, a move that likely ends his season before it ever really began in Baltimore.
The timing matters because Thompson had been hoping to be back for Saturday's preseason opener. Jesse Minter had expected he might be available, but the Ravens shifted course and moved him to injured reserve instead, leaving the quarterback unavailable when the team is trying to sort out depth behind Lamar Jackson.
Thompson's injury was not disclosed, and that missing detail leaves the move looking even more final. In practical terms, injured reserve means he cannot help the Ravens in the immediate future, and with the season already moving toward the regular-year grind, there is little room left for a short-term comeback.
La Canfora described Thompson as highly functional and able to put younger players in positions to succeed, while also saying he belonged in a similar tier to Tyler Huntley as a passer. That view helps explain why Baltimore brought him in this offseason: the Ravens wanted another quarterback who could steady an exhibition game and give the offense a usable second layer.
Thompson has spent much of his career in that role. Drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he appeared in 10 games for the Dolphins and threw for 721 passing yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. He also started against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 of the 2024 season, left after a rib injury, and later played two more snaps before the Dolphins signed Tyler Huntley and gave him the backup job.
That path makes the current setback sharper. Thompson ended up on injured reserve after a hamstring injury last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and he had not seen regular season action since his time with the Dolphins in the 2024 season. He and Huntley were reunited in Baltimore this year as backups to Lamar Jackson, only for Thompson to be sidelined before he could show whether that reunion would matter.
The Ravens now move toward Saturday's preseason opener with one less quarterback available and one less chance to learn what Thompson can still offer. Unless the team gives a clearer explanation for the injury, the unanswered question is not whether he was useful, but whether Baltimore will get any of that value back this season at all.
