Grade the trade: Ravens get much-needed quarterback help with Jacoby Brissett

The Baltimore Ravens had two quarterbacks suffer injuries Sunday that sent both to injured reserve. They had to do something just to get through the rest of the season.

At the same time the Ravens were in a nightmare at Buffalo on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals benched their starting quarterback. Jacoby Brissett was taken out late in the third quarter against the Dallas Cowboys and replaced by Gardner Minshew II. Minshew led a comeback win over the Cowboys, and the Cardinals announced that Brissett would be the third-string quarterback behind Minshew and rookie Carson Beck. Brissett seemed like an obvious candidate to get traded. The Ravens were an obvious candidate to trade for a quarterback.

On Wednesday, the most obvious swap possible happened when news broke from NFL Media that the Ravens were finalizing a trade for Brissett. That will reportedly be official over the weekend, which means the Ravens will have to start Joe Fagnano on Thursday night against the Jaguars. But at least the Ravens have a viable option for the rest of the season.

The truth of the NFL is teams don't want to trade their starting quarterbacks or their backup quarterbacks either. It's rare that a team has a third-string quarterback that can come in and start right way for another team.

The Ravens were never going to find a quarterback who can completely save their season, but Brissett will at least allow them to run a competent offense. Brissett was the Cardinals' starter for most of the past two seasons and threw for 5,085 yards with 33 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. That didn't lead to many wins for Arizona, but the Cardinals don't have a good supporting cast. The Ravens are in much better shape. And Brissett can at least get the ball to playmakers like Zay Flowers.

Nobody should believe Brissett will save Baltimore's season and help them win the division. The Ravens are 4-4 and will be starting undrafted rookie Fagnano against a good Jaguars team on Thursday. But Brissett was the best option available, and he at least makes sure the Ravens aren't playing out the string with uncompetitive football for two months. And maybe a miracle happens and the Ravens are still in contention by the time Jackson returns — if he can.

The Cardinals probably knew, when they made Brissett their third-string quarterback on Monday, that he wouldn't be with the team by the end of the week.

It's a perfectly reasonable move. The Cardinals are going to start Beck soon to get a look at him by next season. Minshew can do as well as Brissett in the short term. They presumably get to add a little bit of draft capital (terms weren't reported immediately) for a player who wasn't going to see the field the rest of the season and has an expiring contract. They also allow Brissett a chance to play meaningful football the rest of the season after serving as their starter for most of the past two seasons.

It's not an overly meaningful move for the franchise, but fine for the Cardinals for getting a deal done quickly.