The Baltimore Ravens finalized their initial 53-man roster on Sunday and one of the biggest decisions they made was keeping Joe Fagnano. Fagnano, an undrafted free agent out of Connecticut, is the first UDFA quarterback in Ravens’ franchise history to make the 53-man roster. Fagnano was a standout performer in the preseason and evidently played well enough to earn himself a roster spot.
Here are the Baltimore Beatdown staff’s reactions to the move.
There was almost no thought that the Ravens would keep three quarterbacks entering this spring and summer. However, no one foresaw Joe Fagnano performing at such a high level in the preseason. He put together three good exhibition performances and demonstrated the ability to run Declan Doyle’s offense well. Fagnano is a good developmental quarterback to have in the farm system, and evidently the Ravens felt risking him to other teams was not worth it. With how he played in the preseason, Fagnano may very well have been scooped up by another team. The Ravens now have more insurance behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, and another potential long-term backup option. **— Frank Platko**
Going into the preseason, I thought there was absolutely no world in which the Ravens would keep three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but Fagnano’s excellent performance across three games changed my opinion completely. Fagnano’s poise in the pocket and ability to work through his reads and deliver accurate passes on time was something you rarely see from a rookie quarterback, let alone an undrafted one with barely any practice reps under his belt entering the preseason. The risk of him making it through waivers to land on Baltimore’s practice squad was a risk they weren’t willing to take in the end **— Dustin Cox**
Joe Fagnano earned his spot on the roster and absolutely deserves it. I am shocked the Ravens kept a third, developmental, quarterback who should hopefully never see the field on a championship hopeful roster but I’m glad they managed it. I could absolutely see Fagnano developing into the backup quarterback of the future and making either him or Huntley a tradable asset soon. **— Zach Canter**
See More:
* [Baltimore Ravens discussion](/baltimore-ravens-discussion)
* [Baltimore Ravens Roster](/baltimore-ravens-roster)