They said goodbye to Devin Leary, but the Baltimore Ravens weren’t about to roll into the 2025 NFL season with only Cooper Rush backing up franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson, not when a Pro Bowler the teams know well was still available.
It didn’t take long for the Ravens to bring former QB2 Tyler Huntley back to M&T Bank Stadium. His signing was confirmed on Wednesday, August 27 by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Confirmation came mere minutes after Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reported Huntley “is in Baltimore today and has emerged as a potential practice squad addition.”
The Ravens were right to move quickly to solve a not insignificant problem. Namely, the lack of quality depth behind star asset Jackson.
Neither Rush nor Leary impressed during preseason, with the latter paying a heavier price on roster cutdown day, per SleeperRavens. Bringing Huntley back for another tour in a Ravens uniform puts a proven commodity in the mix at football’s most important position.
Ravens Avoided QB Problem
Trouble was indeed brewing behind Jackson, at least based on how his deputies fared during exhibition games. Both Leary and Rush struggling mightily, failing to convince and avoid mistakes.
Rush even gave former team the Dallas Cowboys a present, courtesy of this pick-six in Week 2.
Mistakes like this one have somewhat soured the praise Rush received from Ravens coaches during training camp. Leary, meanwhile, hardly fared any better.
The sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft completed just 55.6 percent of his passes, while averaging a mere 3.7 yards per pass, according to ESPN. Those numbers showed the former Kentucky passer hadn’t progressed far from a difficult offseason a year ago.
Entering the new campaign with only Rush as cover for Jackson would hardly have been smart for a team with genuine Super Bowl aspirations. Acquiring Huntley not only shows the Ravens weren’t prepared to take the risk of not having enough numbers on the depth chart.
Huntley’s return also reveals a lack of confidence in Rush.
Tyler Huntley Won’t Stay on Practice Squad for Long
This isn’t the first time the Ravens have brought Huntley back to solve a similar problem. Yet, things are likely to be different than a year ago, when the Ravens swooped after Huntley had been let go by AFC North rivals the Cleveland Browns, but his return proved a short one.
Huntley soon find himself plucked off the practice squad by the Miami Dolphins last September, but the Ravens may be a little more guarded about his status this time. Especially when the 27-year-old boasts a solid track record comprised of a 13-12 mark as a starter, per Statmuse.
That record includes Huntley stepping in for injured Jackson late in the 2021 and ’22 seasons. The Ravens were a playoff team with Huntley at the controls in the latter campaign.
Huntley doesn’t possess elite talent, but he’s mobile, tough and intelligent. Those qualities make him a natural alternative to Jackson, albeit only in case of emergencies.
He’s answered the call before, so it’s safe to predict Huntley is unlikely to stay on the Ravens’ practice squad for long this time around.
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