The Baltimore Ravens entered Week 8 in Buffalo desperately needing a spark. After missing three games with a high ankle sprain, two-time MVP Lamar Jackson finally returned to salvage a slipping season. That hope lasted exactly one snap. On his very first dropback, Jackson’s throwing hand collided with Bills pass rusher Greg Rousseau, dislocating his thumb and sending him straight to the locker room. Backup Tyler “Snoop” Huntley stepped in, only to exit shortly after with a right toe injury.

By halftime, Baltimore was down to emergency third-stringer Joe Fagnano. The undrafted rookie fought through a roughing-the-passer hit that left him limping, but the offense completely collapsed in a 36-10 loss. With Jackson facing thumb surgery and Huntley hobbled, head coach Jesse Minter faced an immediate roster emergency: the Ravens were officially out of healthy quarterbacks, forcing the front office to look for emergency signal-callers, which reportedly led them to Chicago.

“The Ravens top pursuit is Bears back-up quarterback Tyson Bagent, according to multiple high-ranking NFL personnel execs,” insider Jason La Canfora wrote for Sports Illustrated. “They have reached out to Chicago, but are in a desperate position.”

Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio mentioned on Football Night in America on Sunday night that Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent would make sense as a primary trade candidate for the Ravens.

“The Bears have three quarterbacks,” Florio said before Sunday Night Football. “One of them is Tyson Bagent. Declan Doyle, the Ravens’ offensive coordinator, was the Bears’ offensive coordinator last year. Don’t be surprised if the Ravens reach out. Still nine days left in the trade window.”

Florio later updated his hunch with a more concrete report, confirming the Ravens “may explore” a trade for Bagent, though the Bears won’t give him up for cheap.

The quarterback has been in the league since 2023, playing five games as a rookie with four starts, finishing that year with 859 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions. Relegated to backup duties ever since, he still logged 409 yards this season and put together an impressive preseason finale, going 16-of-17 for 208 yards and two touchdowns.

From Bagent’s perspective, Baltimore could be an interesting place to restart his career. He is familiar with Declan Doyle, the chief designer of Baltimore’s 2026 offense, and has never been shy about his desire to eventually pursue a starting opportunity.

If the Bears are reluctant to trade away their backup quarterback, though, they may simply set a high asking price and put the Ravens’ desperation to the test. The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs speculated that it would take a second-round pick to pry Bagent loose when there was trade interest last February, but it is unclear if they ever discussed compensation with any teams.

The Bears might have a tougher time selling a Day 2 price tag after Bagent struggled in his two games replacing Caleb Williams this season. He threw for a career-high 268 yards in a win over the New York Jets and completed 67.3% of his passes overall, but he also recorded three picks with zero touchdown passes. Regardless, Baltimore is in no position to play hardball.

The situation in Baltimore is incredibly serious. Whenever Jackson has missed games, the Ravens have struggled, often transforming overnight from a championship contender into a team fighting just to stay alive. In the three seasons in which Jackson missed at least four games, Baltimore failed to make the playoffs twice (2021 and 2025).

Before getting hurt, Jackson started off strong and looked like an MVP candidate through his first four games. He ranked third in QBR (82.7), throwing six touchdowns and one interception while leading all NFL quarterbacks with 144 rushing yards. But after he sprained his ankle, the Ravens plummeted from being atop the AFC North at 3-1 to last place at 4-3 heading into Sunday’s game against the Bills.

Head coach Jesse Minter said Jackson was in a “decent spot” health-wise entering this week, but Jackson’s timeline to return is notoriously complicated. Two weeks ago, momentum built within the team that Jackson was going to play against the Cincinnati Bengals. He practiced as a limited participant all week, worked with the first-team offense on Friday, and took part in television production meetings. Instead, late swelling in his left ankle ruled him out on Saturday, as reported on the CBS game broadcast.

Jackson is now expected to miss at least four upcoming games, a critical stretch that includes the Jaguars (5-2) and Chargers (0-6) at home, alongside road trips to the Panthers (3-4) and Texans (2-5). Normally, losing a quarterback of Jackson’s caliber spells immediate disaster. Tyler Huntley had already demonstrated he could keep Baltimore competitive and lead its offense to victories, notably completing 24 of 32 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons. But now, even Huntley is down.

A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Huntley suffered what is thought to be a turf toe injury, with a Monday MRI set to determine his timeline. If the Ravens catch a break and Huntley’s injury is less severe than expected, trade momentum could cool down. But a confirmed turf toe diagnosis will only add fuel to the Bagent trade rumors.

After both Jackson and Huntley took to the bench, undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano out of Connecticut finished the game by completing 10-of-21 passes for 91 yards and one interception. Fagnano was left holding his left knee after Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver hit him on a roughing-the-passer call, though when asked if he would be ready for Thursday, Fagnano simply said, “Yeah, I think so.”

If the Tyson Bagent trade doesn’t materialize, Baltimore will be forced to quickly look at two other quarterback options to salvage their season.

Can another veteran make a comeback with the opportunity in Baltimore?

It might not be Baltimore’s best bet to sign less-experienced or new players. Apart from Tyson Bagent, another QB also linked to the chatter is former San Francisco 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo.

Not long ago, Jimmy G was also linked to the New York Giants’ search for a quarterback after Jaxson Dart was injured, and they were forced to rely on Jameis Winston. The Giants have ended up trading for J.J. McCarthy from the Minnesota Vikings, and what a revelation he has been for the Big Blue. McCarthy could’ve been an option for the Ravens too, had he still been with the Vikings.

Another name that could be looked at is Josh Johnson. He is 40 years old, but for a team in Baltimore’s position, that experience is welcome. And Johnson has also played with the Ravens previously in his career. He has thrown for 321 yards and two touchdowns in his time at Baltimore.

Remember, the Ravens are down two quarterbacks right now. With Lamar Jackson possibly out for yet another season, and no confirmation about Tyler Huntley’s status, the Ravens have their backs against the wall.