Jacoby Brissett spoke for the first time as a Baltimore Raven on Thursday, four days before he is set to start against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, and he did not pretend the week has been easy. “It’s definitely been a crash course. No question,” Brissett said, as Jeff Zrebiec relayed from the session. Asked what the days since the trade have looked like, he said: “That’s all it’s been, is preparation, and trying to get caught up to speed and then obviously started to get ready for a game. … It’s been a long but fast week or so.”
The Ravens acquired Brissett from Arizona on November 6 for a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2028 seventh, getting a 2027 fifth back. Lamar Jackson is on injured reserve after thumb surgery and Tyler Huntley is out for the season with turf toe, so undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano started the 33-10 loss to Jacksonville on November 5, Baltimore’s fourth straight defeat. The Ravens are 4-5. Brissett, 33, started Arizona’s first eight games this season, completing 63.3 percent of his passes for 1,719 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, before the Cardinals benched him on November 1 and later turned to rookie Carson Beck.
“I feel confident … but obviously still some work to do”
Brissett said he is comfortable with where he is, with a caveat. “I feel confident. I don’t think my preparation is stopping today,” he said. “But I think I got the right coaches that is helping me along the way. Obviously, the players are helping me when I’m in the huddle and things of that nature. And so it’s been good. I think, like I said, I feel confident, but obviously still some work to do.”
Asked what kind of impact he can make at this point in the season, he kept it short. “I think it’s hard for me to say what type of impact until it shows,” Brissett said. “Really just come out, try to do my job … be a good teammate. Kind of keep things simple, not try to overcomplicate this thing right now and just take it one day at a time.”
Familiar coaches, and a “great football mind” calling plays
Two of the coaches teaching him the offense have worked with him before. Quarterbacks coach Israel Woolfork held the same job in Arizona the past three seasons, and pass game coordinator Marcus Brady coached the Colts’ quarterbacks from 2018 to 2020, when Brissett was in Indianapolis. “They’ve been awesome,” Brissett said. “When I knew I was coming here, I obviously knew they were here. I felt very confident that the people that were gonna be teaching me the stuff were the right people for it. And they’ve been helpful every day that I’ve been here.”
On offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, Brissett said: “Obviously, great football mind. He’s been very receptive to information from me and getting to know each other, whether that’s on the field and off the field.” The two are trying to fast-track a relationship before Monday, he said, and Doyle is open about how he wants to attack a defense. “He’s very excited about it, and I think that cleans up the communication, that I know what he’s thinking.”
Doyle returned the praise earlier Thursday. “I think he can make an impact. I mean, obviously, that position is critical to winning … whether you’re at our level, you’re in college, whatever,” he said, calling it “the number one correlated position to winning in all of football, so he can play a tremendous role for us.” He added: “I’ve been super impressed by him, just being able to work with him as he’s picking up our offense very quickly and also being able to provide a little bit of stability to the situation.” Doyle also said Brissett will “let it rip,” according to Sam Cohn: “He can really drive the ball.”
Extra work with the receivers
For the second straight day, Brissett stayed on the field after practice and threw to Zay Flowers, Ja’Kobi Lane and Devontez Walker, Jamison Hensley reported. Brissett said the chemistry work is mostly walkthroughs and the sessions after practice, with the receivers “telling me what they need from me more than I need from them.” “They gotta do the hard part, I gotta kind of do the easy part and find them and put the ball where it’s supposed to go,” he said.
Teammates had already noticed the leadership. Head coach Jesse Minter said Wednesday that even in a walkthrough, Brissett “has a commanding presence, commands the huddle, commands the whole operation even with it being new,” and called him “not afraid to speak up.” Safety Jaylinn Hawkins, who played with Brissett in New England, said: “That’s my boy. That’s a good move,” adding, “I feel like he can create a spark on our team.” Center Cam Jurgens said Brissett “knows what looks right and what looks wrong.”
“I’d be a fool to look forward”
Jackson reportedly told teammates he plans to return this season, and Brissett was asked whether the coaches had told him he is keeping the season alive until Jackson is back or taking the team the rest of the way. He said he had not asked. “I didn’t even ask that, and I don’t even really want to get into it,” Brissett said. “It’s one of those things where you kind of just take it day by day, and future things happen when future things happen. But I’d be a fool to look forward. I’m trying to learn teammates, players, coaches, plays and get ready for a game. So the last thing I’m worried about is something that’s happening down the road.”
Monday’s game is also the first against the Chargers for Minter, who said after the Jacksonville loss that there were “no excuses.” He spent two seasons on Jim Harbaugh’s staff in Los Angeles and said Wednesday that facing them “feels like you’re going against somebody you care a lot about, which sometimes makes it even more competitive.” Ravens-Chargers kicks off at 8:15 pm ET on Monday, November 16, which is 3:15 am Tuesday in Cairo.
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