Austin Reed gives the Baltimore Ravens another quarterback after Skylar Thompson was placed on injured reserve this offseason. The move landed before Saturday's preseason opener and immediately narrowed the competition behind Lamar Jackson.
Thompson had signed a one-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, and the club had been counting on him for depth. Jesse Minter had expressed hope earlier this week that Thompson could play in Saturday's preseason opener, which makes the roster shift harder to read from the outside.
Thompson's 2024 season
Thompson arrived with a recent track record that made the move notable. He last appeared in regular season action for the Dolphins in the 2024 season, started in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks, and left that game after suffering a rib injury. He finished the 2024 season with 10 games, 721 passing yards, one touchdown and three interceptions for the Dolphins.
Last season also put him back on injured reserve after a hamstring injury while he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That history matters because the Ravens were not bringing in a raw arm; they were trying to add a quarterback who had already handled snaps, absorbed hits and filled a backup role in real games.
Ravens quarterback depth
Tyler Huntley and Thompson were both backups to Lamar Jackson in Baltimore before Thompson's injury, so the depth chart now loses one of the two familiar options. Jason La Canfora wrote that, "Thompson is highly functional and could put youngsters in positions to succeed and showcase what they can do in the exhibition games. He also, in my opinion, was in a similar tier to Huntley in terms of ability (I espoused a true competition between them), and provided real depth at the most important position in pro sports."
That assessment is the practical read here: the Ravens wanted competition and insurance, and the injured reserve move removes both until the club says otherwise. The specific nature of Thompson's injury was not disclosed, which leaves the quarterback room thinner than it looked when camp opened.
Austin Reed now matters because he is not just a name added to the roster; he is the body the Ravens need in the room while Thompson is out, and the team has already shown it will move fast when quarterback depth changes. If Thompson's injury keeps him sidelined into the season, Baltimore is left to lean more heavily on Jackson and Huntley while the backup picture settles around Reed.
