Jacoby Brissett trade grades — There are few answers when a team loses its starting and backup quarterbacks before the season is halfway through, but the Baltimore Ravens are trying their best to find one.

Key Developments and Main Event

Baltimore acquired Jacoby Brissett and a 2027 fifth-round pick from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 seventh-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The trade was first agreed to Wednesday and became official Friday, after the Ravens' 33-10 "Thursday Night Football" loss to the Jaguars.

Sunday against the Bills, the Ravens lost Lamar Jackson (thumb) on their first offensive play of the game and his backup, Tyler Huntley (turf toe), shortly thereafter. Jackson is on IR, meaning he will miss at least the next three games, and Jesse Minter said the injury and surgery are "potentially" season-ending.

Core Facts and Essential Highlights

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that Huntley is done for the season. The Ravens are 4-5 and have lost four straight. Brissett is in line to start in Week 10, against the Chargers on "Monday Night Football," and beyond.

The Ravens' current available quarterbacks are undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, who finished the loss to the Bills and started against the Jaguars, as well as Kedon Slovis and Austin Reed. The latter two signed this week.

Broader Context and Market Implications

Brissett started the Cardinals' first eight games of the season, but he got benched halfway through Arizona's Week 8 game against the Cowboys. After Gardner Minshew led a stunning comeback, Mike LaFleur named Minshew the starter and rookie Carson Beck the backup.

Brissett was demoted to third string, and, given the Ravens' dire situation, it seemed a natural fit right away. It didn't take long thereafter. Here's how both sides fared in the deal. Baltimore Ravens: B- Brissett is not going to save the Ravens' season by himself. There are several major issues with this team, issues that he cannot overcome;

it requires an MVP-level talent like Jackson to do it. But the Ravens owed it to everyone involved to make a trade. They owed it to the other players, Fagnano included. It's unfair to throw an undrafted into the fire and try to ride it out for more than half the season. No undrafted rookie quarterback in the past six years has started more than six games.

Reed has never taken an NFL snap, and Slovis has only taken a handful. Both are former undrafted guys who have been out of the league or on its fringes. It would have been untenable to start any of them long-term. They also owed it to first-year coach Jesse Minter and first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, the latter of whom has done some nice work.

With Brissett, the Ravens will get an offensive environment that is, at the very least, workable. It won't be good, probably, but it will give Baltimore a fighting chance more often than not. It's important to have this in place so the team can fairly evaluate the rest of the offense, both in the short and long term.

As for Brissett the player, he is generally fine — a low-level starter/high-end backup.