Joe Fagnano is the Ravens' emergency No. 3 quarterback for Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, a game-day decision that locks in Baltimore’s backup plan behind Lamar Jackson as the starter returns after a three-game absence.
The designation matters because the Ravens had to set their quarterback coverage before kickoff, and Fagnano ended up as the emergency option rather than another available arm. Jackson is back for his first start since the high ankle sprain that kept him out for three games, while the rest of Baltimore’s lineup also shifted around him. Andrew Vorhees is active for the game, and Emery Jones Jr. is inactive, even though Jones was in line to start at right guard earlier in the week.
That in itself reflects how much changed in a short span. Head Coach Jesse Minter said Vorhees and Jones would compete during the week of practice to replace Vega Ioane if he could not play, and Ioane was ruled out on Friday. Vorhees is now set to make his second start of the season after stepping in in Week 4, but he also carries the weight of a foot injury that has already disrupted his year. He had started every game at left guard last season before Baltimore signed John Simpson in free agency.
The roster picture around him is busy, and not always clean. Vorhees is listed as active, yet another line marks him as inactive because of that same foot injury, a contradiction that underscores how fluid game-day status can be. Baltimore also has Jaylinn Hawkins ruled out with a knee injury, while T.J. Tampa is active for the first time since Week 1 after being added to the 53-man roster on Saturday. D.J. Moore is back after missing the past two games, and Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey will play after being questionable with an illness. On the other side, Spencer Brown and Dee Alford are inactive for the Bills, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson is serving a one-game suspension for spitting.
For Baltimore, the immediate answer is simple: Jackson starts, Fagnano waits as the emergency No. 3, and the rest of the depth chart shifts around a game that already forced the Ravens to sort through injuries, returns and late-week changes before Sunday.
