Lamar Jackson’s long-awaited return lasted exactly one play. After missing three games with an ankle injury, the Baltimore Ravens quarterback took the field against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday only to have his right thumb collide with Greg Rousseau’s arm on his first pass attempt.
He left immediately and was ruled out, turning what had been a hopeful restart into another setback for a team sitting at 4-3 and already thin on margin for error in a crowded AFC.
Chris Landers of FanSided has argued that the Ravens cannot simply hand the rest of the season to Tyler Huntley if Jackson’s absence stretches beyond a game or two.
Huntley is competent, but he has already shown the ceiling is limited; Baltimore went 1-2 in the three starts he made while Jackson recovered from the ankle issue, and the offense rarely looked capable of elevating beyond the level of its supporting pieces.
With the November 10 trade deadline approaching and few viable quarterbacks available, Landers points to Kirk Cousins of the Las Vegas Raiders as the most practical emergency addition—a veteran who still has the arm strength to push the ball downfield and give Baltimore’s skill players a chance to function.
The proposed cost is modest enough to make the idea realistic: a Day 3 pick that could climb as high as a fifth-rounder depending on snaps and production.
For the Raiders, that return is useful capital on a player who is not part of their 2027 plans.
They drafted Fernando Mendoza first overall and have Aidan O’Connell available to hold the fort while the rookie develops; selling Cousins now lets them extract value before the season ends without jeopardizing their longer-term timeline.
For Baltimore, the move would be about buying time rather than solving the franchise quarterback question.
The fit is less awkward than the stylistic difference between Cousins and Jackson might suggest. Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle spent years as a Sean Payton assistant and later worked under Ben Johnson; he has experience designing schemes for pocket passers.
Cousins has shown this year in Las Vegas that he can still deliver the ball accurately to playmakers, and that profile is closer to the system Doyle has operated than it first appears.
Derrick Henry is not getting younger, and key defensive pieces have finite windows.
Baltimore does not need to mortgage its future, but a short-term upgrade that keeps the team competitive while Jackson recovers could matter in an AFC that remains wide open.
Whether the thumb injury proves minor or forces another multi-week absence remains unclear, yet the Ravens already know what the alternative looks like.
A low-cost swing for Cousins would not guarantee a Super Bowl run, but it would give them a better chance to stay relevant until their starter is ready again.
