The Baltimore Ravens have dug themselves quite a hole through the first quarter of the regular season, and they will now need to find a way to climb out of it without the help of their most decorated player — quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The two-time MVP left Sunday’s blowout road loss against the Kansas City Chiefs with a hamstring injury. On Tuesday, the Baltimore Sun reported that Jackson will miss next weekend’s game against the Houston Texans and is likely out even longer than that.
Brian Wacker of the Sun reported via X that Jackson could miss up to three weeks due to the hamstring issue, which will put a significant strain on the franchise as it tries to keep its head above water in a highly competitive AFC.
Stepping in for Jackson against the Chiefs was long-time Dallas Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush.
Rush spent seven years in Dallas, starting 14 games and earning a record of 9-5. He has a career completion percentage just a shade under 61% and he’s thrown for 3,515 yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during his time in the NFL. He went completed 9 of 13 passes for 52 passing yards during the fourth quarter against Kansas City.
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The 31-year-old Rush inked a two-year deal worth $6.2 million to join the Ravens as Jackson’s backup during the offseason.
Also on Baltimore’s practice squad is Tyler Huntley, who rejoined the organization in late August after a second consecutive preseason as a member of the Cleveland Browns. Huntley served as Jackson’s backup QB for four years between 2020-23, starting nine games for the Ravens (3-6) and appearing in 20 contests over that span.
Huntley actually earned Pro-Bowl honors in 2022, despite playing in only six games, starting just four of them and leading Baltimore to a 2-2 record in Jackson’s absence. He went 2-3 as the starter for the Miami Dolphins in 2024.
The most likely course of action for the Ravens will be to start Rush against the Texans, elevate Huntley to active status as the QB2 and sign a free agent to take Huntley’s place on the practice squad/as the team’s emergency QB until Jackson returns healthy.
However, Baltimore could be in the market to deal for a signal-caller ahead of the league’s Nov. 4 trade deadline if Jackson’s injury proves worse than it currently appears and/or if he suffers a setback.
The one piece of luck for the Ravens is that they host their next three games in Baltimore. However, the Texans boast one of the NFL’s most fearsome defenses. The Los Angeles Rams (3-1) visit the Ravens in Week 6, while the Chicago Bears (2-2) round out the three-game home stretch.
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