The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently leading the AFC North after starting the 2026 season with a record of 6-2 and beating the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. The team now enters the bye week with the main focus being every player getting healthy for the second half of the season, and the front office may try to bring in some more talent to address weaknesses on the roster ahead of the league's trade deadline on Tuesday, November 10th. Pittsburgh is set up in a great position for the second half of the season as the organization is looking for its second AFC North title in a row.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy on the sideline during his regular season head coaching debut with the organization in 2026 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Going into the 2026 season, the Baltimore Ravens were considered the favorite to win the AFC North. That is no longer the case as the team now has a record of 4-4 while the rest of the division is multiple games over .500. Things are going to get worse before they get better as well as quarterback Lamar Jackson exited the team's Week 8 game against the Buffalo Bills with a thumb injury. It was announced that he would have to get surgery almost immediately, and he was placed on Injured Reserve (IR).
An IR stint means that Jackson will have to miss at least the next four games, and his backup suffered a turf toe injury in the same game that will likely end his season. That means undrafted rookie free agent Joe Fagnano is expected to start the team's game in Week 9 on Thursday Night Football against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It would be fair to assume that the Ravens might look for external quarterback help, ESPN's Dan Graziano brought up the idea of the team trading for Jacoby Brissett.
"The Cardinals are done with Jacoby Brissett. Baltimore would be a team I'd expect to at least look into bringing in Brissett for Week 10 on," Graziano wrote.
Brissett is an experienced quarterback that has played in a lot of different systems. He entered the season as the Arizona Cardinals starting quarterback, but he was benched on Sunday and it has been announced that he will be the team's inactive emergency third-string quarterback moving forward. That certainly makes him a trade target.
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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Fagnano (12) drops back for a pass during the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at New Highmark Stadium.
The Steelers still have both of their games left against the Ravens, and both games come after Jackson's mandatory IR stint. However, if the season is lost by then for Baltimore he might not play, and there is a chance that this injury will take longer than four games to heal. As of now the best-case scenario for a return for Jackson is Week 14 or 15, while it could take longer to recover based on any sort of complications.
Pittsburgh would love to take on its second rookie undrafted free agent of the season, but the Ravens will probably pursue veteran help. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, Brissett is the exact type of quarterback this team has struggled with in the past. He is a gunslinger that has experience. The defense has been playing better this season, so maybe it is nothing to worry about, but playing a rookie with little experience would be much more favorable for Pittsburgh.
Steelers Should Keep A Close Eye On Ravens' Quarterback Situation
Throughout the reporting from Graziano for ESPN, there were other quarterbacks named in connection with Baltimore. Tyson Bagent was mentioned due to his history with Declan Doyle, as was Daniel Jones. Brissett still seems like the most likely option as Arizona has already demoted down the depth chart, and Baltimore's quarterbacks coach was with Brissett during the 2025 season in Arizona. He has a few connections with the Ravens to consider.
What do you think about the Steelers potentially taking on Brissett twice throughout the remainder of the 2026 season? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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