Head coach Jesse Minter confirmed Tuesday that the organization is eager to evaluate whether Diego Pavia possesses the necessary intangibles to be repeatedly driven into the Maryland turf during August exhibition games.
Speaking at the team’s Owings Mills training facility, Minter stressed that the quarterback room is highly competitive, and that the coaching staff needs to see if Pavia can effectively stand in the pocket and accept catastrophic physical trauma so that two-time MVP Lamar Jackson does not have to. The undrafted free agent has reportedly taken significant reps this week with the third-team offense, where coaches are actively monitoring his willingness to remain stationary while unblocked 300-pound defensive tackles collapse his ribcage.
The team’s front office has historically utilized undrafted rookie quarterbacks to eat up the grueling final three quarters of preseason matchups, an organizational strategy designed to keep the franchise's $260 million investment in Jackson completely pristine. Analysts noted that Pavia’s collegiate tape showed a distinct ability to peel himself off the grass after being leveled, a trait the Baltimore coaching staff considers essential for a player who will be protected by a rotating cast of exhausted rookie guards.
We just need to see if he has the mental toughness to step up into a collapsing pocket, deliver the football, and immediately be reduced to a fine paste by a guy trying to make the Eagles' 53-man roster.
If Pavia successfully survives the four-week gauntlet of exhibition matches without sustaining career-ending structural damage, team officials indicated he could be rewarded with a highly coveted spot on the practice squad. There, he would have the opportunity to spend the next four months getting routinely mauled by the Ravens' starting defensive line every Wednesday afternoon.
Baltimore kicks off its preseason slate next Friday against Philadelphia, where Pavia is currently slated to play the entire second half behind an offensive line that is still learning the team's snap count.