Signed to a multi-year deal earlier this offseason, it already seemed likely that former University of Connecticut football standout Joe Fagnano was destined to make the Baltimore Ravens roster, but in the NFL, nothing is guaranteed.

In that vein, Fagnano got better news in his pursuit of a roster spot on Thursday, as the Ravens announced they have waived former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavila.

Both players were signed as undrafted free agents, but again, Fagnano was given a three-year deal back in April, which always gave him the leg up. But still, reducing the overall competition ahead of training camp and the preseason is good for Fagnano.

Fagnano spent seven seasons in college (2019-25), taking full advantage of redshirt years and COVID exemptions. He played four years at the University of Maine and then spent three years at UConn, serving as the starter in 2024 and 2025. Last season, he completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,448 yards. He had 28 touchdowns against just one interception and a passer rating of 161.0.

UConn went 9-3 in the regular season and earned a spot in the Fenway Bowl, which it lost to Army. He did not play in that bowl game. The Huskies finished 9-4.

While we don't claim to know everything about the Ravens situation, it's obvious that after seven years of college experience, Fagnano has a rare combination of age and experience. That means that should he need to play for the Ravens, he's got a better chance of not being phased by the moment.

Furthermore, it's fair to acknowledge that former MVP Lamar Jackson missed four games in 2025 because of injury, in addition to missing a game in 2023 and multiple games in both 2021 and 2022. Because of that, there's certainly a chance that Fagnano could find himself in a game during the 2026 campaign.

One interesting thing to note: The Ravens offense is largely predicated on Jackson's ability to scramble and make plays with his feet. In three years at UConn, Fagnano had only 93 credited rushing attempts for 223 yards. He averaged just 2.4 yards per rush and 9.3 yards per game.

In addition to Fagnano and Jackson, the Ravens quarterback room still has Tyler Huntley and Skylar Thompson as well.

The Huskies enter the season with uncertainty at the quarterback position. Tennessee transfer Jake Merklinger would seemingly have the inside track, but Kalieb Osborne, who followed new head coach Jason Candle from Toledo, could also be in the mix.

Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!