Jacoby Brissett's benching comes at an interesting point in the season with the Arizona Cardinals approaching the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Head coach Mike LaFleur hasn't officially named a starting quarterback for Arizona's difficult Week 9 road matchup against the divisional rival Seattle Seahawks. However, Gardner Minshew II certainly made a compelling case to start after leading the Cardinals to a surprising 33-30 comeback overtime win over the Dallas Cowboys.
Despite the win, the season is fading quickly for a 3-5 Cardinals team stuck in the loaded NFC West. With Brissett on an expiring deal, it makes sense for Arizona to look ahead to the future. It could be difficult to land significant draft capital, or even a landing spot in general, given Brissett's contract and poor production this season.
That said, the Baltimore Ravens might suddenly be desperate enough to take Brissett off the Cardinals' hands for the remainder of the season -- unfortunately, only because of yet another injury suffered by Lamar Jackson.
Ravens could use Jacoby Brissett after unfortunate Lamar Jackson injury
Lamar Jackson's Week 8 return unfortunately lasted just one snap for the Ravens. He's now dealing with a thumb injury, the extent of which remains to be seen as far as whether it's dislocated or broken. Regardless, Jackson did need surgery to address the injury, which head coach Jesse Minter even called "potentially" season-ending.
Meanwhile, backup quarterback Tyler "Snoop" Huntley left the Week 8 matchup against the Buffalo Bills with a right toe injury, which could threaten his availability going forward as well.
This is a Ravens roster built to contend, but only if they can hold the fort down until Jackson returns. Undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano out of UConn isn't going to get this team where it wants to go.
The Cardinals' drastic offensive upgrade from Brissett to Minshew should concern teams exploring a trade for Brissett. But compared to Fagnano, Baltimore would be better off with the veteran as a stopgap.
Brissett has proven to be a borderline starting-caliber player under ideal circumstances. His flaws that have been exposed in Arizona behind a shaky offensive line and depleted group of pass-catchers wouldn't be as prevalent in Baltimore.
The Ravens now sit at 4-4 after their loss to the Bills, but yet another injury to Jackson is the most concerning takeaway. They now have a short week with a difficult Thursday matchup against the 5-2 Jacksonville Jaguars. Without a trade for someone like Brissett, it's easy to see a scenario where Baltimore falls behind in the always competitive AFC North.
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, Baltimore should feel urgency to stay afloat in the AFC North and keep their season alive. While Jackson’s injury is unfortunate for the Ravens, the Cardinals need to see if they can use this window to offload a veteran they never should’ve paid more money in the first place.
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