Austin Reed has one preseason game and three days left to make the Baltimore Ravens' 53-man roster. The former Dallas Renegades quarterback talked about that deadline in a Renegades release published August 25.
Reed signed with Baltimore on August 12 and played in the preseason opener against Philadelphia on August 15. NFL teams must be down to 53 players by Sunday, August 30 at 6 p.m. ET, with waiver claims due at 1 p.m. ET the following day.
Between the signing and the deadline sits Friday's preseason finale against the Washington Commanders at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Season That Got Him There
Reed threw for 1,923 yards in 2026, second most in the UFL. He completed 174 of 309 passes with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The 21 touchdown passes set a UFL single-season record. His Week One line — 376 yards and four scores — set the UFL single-game regular-season record.
He started all 10 games.
"When you're a UDFA in the league, there's not many opportunities for you," Reed said. "They come few and far between and it's often just mop-up preseason duty. So to be able to go out there and play 10 full games and start all 10 of those games, play four quarters, get a ton of film... that was awesome."
Reed entered the league as an undrafted free agent and spent two years with the Chicago Bears before signing with Dallas. At Western Kentucky, he led all FBS quarterbacks with 4,744 passing yards in 2022, ahead of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr.
The Call on August 12
Reed worked out for NFL teams through the summer without landing a contract. The Ravens called while he was driving to a pediatrician appointment.
"I've done a lot of these workouts before and oftentimes you do one of these workouts and you get right back on a flight and you head right back home," Reed said. "So for one of them to finally pay off and then tell me, 'Hey, we'd like you to stay' ... was awesome."
That pediatrician appointment was part of a longer story. Reed and his wife welcomed premature twin daughters the same week he was named Dallas' starting quarterback. He spent the UFL season splitting time between the field and the neonatal intensive care unit. The girls came home after 83 days.
A Rushing Touchdown Against Philadelphia
Three days after signing, Reed played in the Ravens' preseason opener. He went 2-for-2 for 14 yards across 14 snaps and scrambled 14 yards for a touchdown. His wife and daughters were in the stands.
"It was really exciting," Reed said. "I got to give a little credit to my old teammate, Ajene Harris, who always told me, 'Man, nobody's ever looking at you. You need to take off and run. There's yards out there for you.'"
The QB3 Competition
Reed is competing with rookie Joe Fagnano for Baltimore's third quarterback job. Fagnano has been with the Ravens since OTAs and has taken the bulk of the backup reps. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 224 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Eagles, then went 15-of-20 for 123 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 13-3 win over Minnesota on August 22. Reed's work in that second game came on the final drive.
Reed's framing of what is left is straightforward.
"For me, this is one more opportunity to go out there and impress the league," he said. "I'm trying to impress the Ravens here while I'm playing, but I'm also realizing that this is an opportunity to get film. So for me, it's like, hey, let's make the most of that, keep being who I am, and hopefully between good film, the film I put up in the UFL, and connections throughout the league, it rewards me for another opportunity in this league."
What He Tells the Next Guy
The UFL announced on August 25 that 76 players from the 2026 season have signed NFL contracts, and that 107 UFL alumni are in NFL training camps.
"At the end of the day, this whole business, the business of football, is betting on yourself and putting out your resume on tape," Reed said. "So if you're who you think you are, and you want to prove to the league that you deserve one more shot or you deserve to be back in the league, then why not go do that with a great opportunity like the UFL?"
Friday is the last of the film. Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, the Ravens name 53.