The Diego Pavia Ravens cut is official. The Baltimore Ravens waived the former Vanderbilt quarterback and 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up on Thursday, July 23, 2026, before the team’s full-squad training camp practices even began, ending one of the most talked-about undrafted rookie signings of the 2026 offseason. The release came to make roster room for veteran center Ethan Pocic, who was signed to solve Baltimore’s most pressing positional need after the team failed to land a replacement for Tyler Linderbaum in the 2026 NFL Draft. Pavia, who signed a three-year, $3.1 million contract with Baltimore after going undrafted in April, was deemed the fifth-best quarterback on a roster that intends to carry only four.
Why the Ravens Cut Diego Pavia
The decision to release Pavia before training camp opened reflects a combination of roster math and performance evaluation that produced a clear result. Baltimore decided Pavia was the fifth-best quarterback on their roster and they’re only going with four now, with starter Lamar Jackson and presumed backup Tyler Huntley expected to make the roster. The remaining competition for the third quarterback spot narrowed to veteran Skylar Thompson and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano, with Baltimore choosing to keep two players competing for one backup job rather than three.
The Ravens waived Pavia to make room for veteran center Ethan Pocic on the 90-man roster. Ravens fans had watched Baltimore fail to address the Tyler Linderbaum replacement at center during the 2026 NFL Draft, making the Pocic signing a genuine organizational priority that directly displaced Pavia on the 90-man limit. The connection between Baltimore head coach Jesse Minter and Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea, who coached Pavia for two seasons and recommended him to Minter, was ultimately not enough to overcome the competitive evaluation results the Ravens saw during the offseason program.
Diego Pavia’s Road to the Ravens
Pavia’s journey to this point is one of the more unconventional paths any recent Heisman finalist has traveled. Born February 16, 2002 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he began his college career at New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to New Mexico State and eventually landing at Vanderbilt, where he became one of the most compelling quarterback stories in college football over two seasons.
His final year at Vanderbilt was exceptional by any measure. Pavia completed 70.6 percent of his passes for more than 3,500 yards, added nearly 900 rushing yards, and delivered the program’s first significant wins over ranked opponents in years. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year, and earned First-team All-American honors for the 2025 season. He finished as the runner-up in Heisman Trophy voting, losing to Fernando Mendoza, and became the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014.
The undrafted result was driven almost entirely by one measurable: height. Pavia measured 5-foot-9 7/8 at the Senior Bowl and 5-foot-10 1/8 at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, making him one of the shortest quarterbacks to enter the league in recent decades. Every NFL team that evaluated him had to weigh historic college production and elite competitive toughness against the question of whether a quarterback that short could consistently find throwing windows against NFL defensive fronts. The Ravens answered that question in the offseason program and came down on the side of insufficient evidence that he could.
The Numbers That Made Pavia a Story
Before the height question overwhelmed his draft stock, Pavia’s college resume made him one of the more discussed quarterback prospects in recent memory. His 70.6 percent completion rate at Vanderbilt was exceptional for an SEC quarterback operating behind an offensive line that was not among the conference’s strongest. His nearly 900 rushing yards reflected the dual-threat capability that drew comparisons to Kyler Murray during the pre-draft process, though Murray measured 5-foot-10 1/8 at his own combine and was still taken first overall in 2019. The difference, scouts consistently noted, is that Murray’s arm talent was unambiguously elite in a way that Pavia’s has not been universally described.
Pavia’s Heisman runner-up finish came with its own footnote. His reaction to losing the vote to Fernando Mendoza drew widespread attention, with USA Today’s Jordan Mendoza making the case that his emotional response to finishing second showed skills as a potential WWE heel character, a comment that has resurfaced in multiple landing spot discussions since his release.
What Comes Next: Landing Spots After the Ravens Cut
Pavia’s release has immediately generated speculation about where he goes from here, with NFL teams, the CFL, the UFL, and even the WWE all surfacing in landing spot discussions.
On the NFL side, USA Today Sports linked the Detroit Lions as a potential suitor almost immediately after the release, with reporter Nick Brinkerhoff citing Detroit’s thin quarterback depth behind Jared Goff. Teddy Bridgewater and Luke Altmyer are the only insurance behind Goff on the Lions roster, making the room a genuine opportunity for Pavia if his height concern is something the Lions organization is willing to overlook. The Carolina Panthers were also mentioned as another NFL option given their ongoing roster construction situation. Bleacher Report’s Scott Polacek added the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams as potential destinations given both organizations’ track records with mobile quarterbacks and developmental roster management.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers reportedly hold Pavia on their CFL negotiation list, a detail that resurfaced almost immediately after his release. TSN’s Coty Wiles noted that while Winnipeg already carries three other quarterbacks, starter Zach Collaros’ recent trip to injured reserve could open a door. The CFL season runs through the Grey Cup in November, meaning Pavia could join mid-season if a deal comes together quickly. The UFL remains another option for professional reps, though Pavia would have to wait until spring 2027 with the 2026 season already complete. After the NFL Draft, Pat McAfee had called Pavia the “UFL QB Blueprint,” a designation that now carries added weight given his release.
The Ravens’ QB Room Without Pavia
Baltimore enters training camp with Lamar Jackson as the unquestioned starter, Tyler Huntley as the presumed backup, and a two-man competition between Skylar Thompson and Joe Fagnano for the third quarterback spot. Jackson remains one of the NFL’s elite quarterbacks heading into 2026, making the depth chart behind him a low-stakes competition in normal circumstances. The decision to prioritize Pocic at center over Pavia at quarterback reflects a franchise that views its offensive line situation as a more pressing concern than its backup quarterback depth entering the season.
Latest Updates
The Baltimore Ravens officially announced Pavia’s release on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Fox News/OutKick confirmed the full details of the release, including Pavia’s fifth-place ranking in Baltimore’s quarterback depth chart, the Ethan Pocic roster move that necessitated the cut, and the Skylar Thompson and Joe Fagnano competition for the backup spot. Yahoo Sports confirmed the release came before full-squad training camp practices and noted the three-year deal’s terms did not provide additional job security. USA Today Sports published a landing spot analysis immediately after the release identifying the Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, CFL, UFL, and WWE as Pavia’s most realistic next steps.
Sources: Fox News/OutKick | USA Today | Yahoo Sports
Broader Implications
The Diego Pavia story is a useful illustration of how far college production, competitive reputation, and Heisman Trophy finalist status can take a player in the NFL evaluation process, and where that process hits its ceiling. Pavia did everything asked of him at Vanderbilt and produced numbers that would have made him a first-round pick if he were three inches taller. The NFL’s historical reluctance to invest in shorter quarterbacks is well-documented, and his pre-draft fall and post-camp release are the latest data points in that pattern.
Whether Pavia finds his way back to an NFL roster through the CFL, the UFL, or a direct signing by another team remains genuinely open. The talent and the competitive fire are not in question. The Ravens’ evaluation was about size fitting their specific needs at the position, not a verdict on whether he can play professional football at a high level. For more NFL and sports coverage, visit thetechmarketer.com.
3. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Why did the Ravens cut Diego Pavia?
The Baltimore Ravens released Diego Pavia on July 23, 2026 to make room for veteran center Ethan Pocic on the 90-man roster. Pavia was deemed the fifth-best quarterback on a roster planning to carry only four, ranking behind starter Lamar Jackson, backup Tyler Huntley, and two competitors for the third spot in veteran Skylar Thompson and undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano.
- What was Diego Pavia’s college career at Vanderbilt?
Pavia completed 70.6 percent of his passes for over 3,500 yards with nearly 900 rushing yards in his final season at Vanderbilt. He won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, was named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and First-team All-American, and finished as the 2025 Heisman Trophy runner-up. He became the first Heisman finalist to go undrafted since 2014.
- Why did Diego Pavia go undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft?
Pavia’s draft fall was driven primarily by his height. He measured 5-foot-9 7/8 at the Senior Bowl and 5-foot-10 1/8 at the NFL Combine, making him one of the shortest quarterback prospects in recent draft history. Despite elite college production, NFL teams were unwilling to draft a quarterback of that height, even with his mobility and completion percentage.
- What are Diego Pavia’s best landing spots after the Ravens cut?
USA Today Sports immediately linked the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers as NFL landing spots. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hold Pavia on their CFL negotiation list, with starter Zach Collaros recently hitting injured reserve. The UFL is another option for spring 2027, though Pavia would have to wait with the 2026 season already complete. The WWE was also mentioned given Pavia’s competitive personality and reaction to his Heisman runner-up finish.
- What contract did Diego Pavia sign with the Baltimore Ravens?
Diego Pavia signed a three-year, $3.1 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Ravens had originally scheduled a tryout for Pavia before deciding to sign him outright. The contract terms did not provide roster protection, and his release before training camp came with no obligation from Baltimore beyond any guaranteed money included in the agreement.
4. SOURCES AND REFERENCES
- Fox News / OutKick: Baltimore Ravens Cut Heisman Trophy Runner-Up Diego Pavia Before Training Camp Even Begins
- USA Today: Diego Pavia Landing Spots Include NFL, CFL, UFL and Maybe WWE
- Yahoo Sports: The Baltimore Ravens Have Already Reached a Verdict on One of Their Most Talked-About Undrafted Rookie Signings
