Ravens put QB Skylar Thompson on injured reserve, sign Austin Reed

The Baltimore Ravens announced Wednesday that quarterback Skylar Thompson has been placed on injured reserve. In a corresponding transaction, the team has signed quarterback Austin Reed, keeping its depth chart stable as the preseason evaluation period continues.

For the Ravens, the move changes the immediate pecking order at the position. Thompson’s placement on IR means he will not be available for team activities that count toward the regular-season roster build while he recovers, forcing Baltimore to lean more heavily on the other quarterbacks already in camp.

Reed’s signing gives the Ravens an additional option in quarterback reps and practice-plan scenarios. In the league’s roster framework, the “corresponding” nature of the transaction typically means the team is adjusting its roster spot in a way that matches the procedural impact of the player moved to injured reserve.

Skylar Thompson had been part of Baltimore’s quarterback group, and his departure from active availability is the type of development teams monitor closely early in the year. Even without knowing the underlying medical specifics from the team’s announcement, the practical impact is clear: it narrows the range of operational quarterbacks available during the lead-up to the regular season.

From a roster management standpoint, Baltimore’s decision also reflects the constant balancing act between protecting roster flexibility and ensuring enough quarterback coverage throughout camp and the preseason slate. Teams often treat the late-summer quarterback depth picture as a moving target, especially when evaluating who can handle the full cadence of NFL preparation and game-week adjustments.

Reed, meanwhile, now becomes the primary addition tied to this sequence of roster changes. The Ravens’ coaching staff will likely use his early reps to assess timing, decision speed, and command of the offense’s protections and check-down structure, with emphasis on whether he can operate within Baltimore’s system under live practice conditions.

As the season approaches, the key question for Baltimore is how the QB room settles after Thompson’s IR designation and whether Reed can earn a meaningful role among the active rotation. Additional updates from the team would determine how the Ravens plan to manage availability and workload at the position heading into the first major regular-season evaluation points.

For now, the Ravens’ announcement provides the essential headline facts: Thompson is on injured reserve, and Austin Reed has been signed as the corresponding adjustment to the roster. Beyond that, the next visible developments will come from subsequent team releases and game-week reports once preseason play begins to clarify the depth chart.