The Baltimore Ravens finished last season 12-5. Lamar Jackson almost won his third MVP award. In fact, he was the presumed favorite, only for Josh Allen to sneak in the back door and claim it in a historically tight race.
It's hard to poke holes in this Ravens roster. Jackson is a one-man winning machine, but he has an all-time running back behind him in Derrick Henry, a talented wide receiver room led by Zay Flowers, and a deadly one-two punch at tight end with Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely — not to mention one of the NFL's top offensive lines. This Ravens team is built to push deep into the postseason.
And yet, there are weak points on the roster. For a Ravens team that has struggled to overcome their fellow AFC heavyweights in Buffalo and Kansas City, those few weak points are worth harping on. One that became glaringly apparent in the Ravens' preseason debut was the backup quarterrback situation.
Ravens backup QB situation looks dicey after Cooper Rush's performance
Baltimore put together a solid 24-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in their preseason debut on Thursday night. The sort of solid drubbing that can only come against a team as incompetently built as the 2025 Colts. The final score does not do justice to how thoroughly Baltimore controlled this game.
But the Ravens won with defense and a strong run game. Their quarterback play was somehow even worse than their opponent, which is saying something when Daniel Jones and Riley Leonard dominated the touches for Indy after Anthony Richardson got hurt a few plays into the game.
Baltimore gave Lamar Jackson the day off, as expected. He has nothing to prove on this stage. In his stead, Cooper Rush and 2024 sixth-round pick Devin Leary lined up under center for the Ravens. Neither did much of anything.
Rush completed 2-of-4 passes for 16 yards and threw an interceptions. Leary completed 3-of-12 passes for a more robust 43 yards and threw an interception of his own. Neither Ravens QB contributed a touchdown. Baltimore won despite the team totaling 46 passing yards when factoring in sacks. Not great, Bob.
#Ravens QB Cooper Rush throws an INT on his first pass attempt of the preseason. pic.twitter.com/j8h4nnwG36
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) August 7, 2025
Ravens need to scramble for better backup quarterbacks
Never, even overreact to a single preseason game. But in Baltimore's case, it's fair to get antsy about the backup quarterback situation. This is a team built around Lamar Jackson. So long as he's healthy, the Ravens will rank among the very best teams in football. But what happens if he gets hurt?
Every contender takes a meaningful step back without its star quarterback, but most are at least built to tread water in the standings. This comes on a day in which Tanner McKee tore it up for the reigning champion Eagles. Kansas City has Gardner Minshew. Buffalo has Mitchell Trubisky. Hell, the Falcons have Kirk Cousins as their backup.
Good teams tend to keep a sturdy option in the backup QB role, just in case. If Jalen Hurts gets hurt, Philly should still win a few games in his absence. If the Chiefs end up without Patrick Mahomes for a few games, Minshew is a former everyday starter with a recent Pro Bowl under his belt. Kansas City will stay afloat.
Cooper Rush has a solid track record of backup QB play in Dallas, but last season was a slog when Dak Prescott went down. Leary probably isn't an NFL player. The Ravens are an injury away from disaster at quarterback. We know where that can lead — just ask the 2024 Miami Dolphins.