ARLINGTON, TX – August 25, 2026 – With just five days until NFL rosters are reduced to 53 players, former Dallas Renegades quarterback Austin Reed finds himself with one final opportunity to make his case in Baltimore. Signed just days before the Ravens' first preseason game, Reed has wasted little time making an impact.
Reed has been a prolific quarterback since his days at Western Kentucky. In 2022, Reed led all FBS quarterbacks with 4,744 passing yards, finishing ahead of quarterbacks such as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr.
After spending two years with the Chicago Bears, Reed made the decision to stop waiting around and get back on the field, putting real game reps and new film on his resume. He signed with the Dallas Renegades and proceeded to have a historic spring campaign.
The former NFL undrafted free agent immediately set the league on fire in Week One, passing for a UFL single-game regular-season record 376 yards and four touchdowns. Reed finished second in the league in passing and set a UFL single-season record with 21 passing touchdowns.
“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's season in Dallas ultimately helped create another opportunity at the NFL level. More than 100 former UFL players are currently on NFL rosters, including 68 from the 2026 season.
But while Reed was leading the Renegades, he and his wife were dealing with something much larger than football. The couple welcomed their two premature daughters into the world the same week Reed was named the Renegades' starting quarterback.
While serving as a UFL quarterback, Reed also spent his days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as his daughters fought for their lives. Following the conclusion of the UFL season, Reed and his wife learned that, after 83 days, their daughters would finally be coming home.
On August 12, Reed was on his way to a pediatrician appointment when he received a call from the Baltimore Ravens, giving him another opportunity to return to the NFL.
Reed had attended NFL workouts throughout the summer, but none had resulted in a contract.
“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.”
Four days after signing with Baltimore, Reed entered the Ravens' first preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After completing a pair of passes, Reed scrambled away from pressure and rushed for a 14-yard touchdown.
With his wife and daughters there to watch, Reed scored an NFL touchdown and did it with his legs, rather than the arm that has carried him throughout his career.
“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.’”
Reed saw the field again late in the fourth quarter of Baltimore's second preseason game. With just five days remaining before roster cuts, he remains in a quarterback competition with rookie Joe Fagnano, who has been with the Ravens since OTAs.
For Reed, however, the focus isn't on what he can't control. It's on making the most of every remaining opportunity.
“For me, this is one more opportunity to go out there and impress the league,” Reed 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.”
Whether that opportunity ultimately comes in Baltimore or elsewhere, Reed's path to the NFL this summer can be traced back to his decision to bet on himself in the UFL.
His historic season with the Renegades gave him the game film he had been searching for. It gave him 10 starts, 21 touchdown passes, and another chance to prove that he belongs at football's highest level.
Now, with five days left before NFL rosters are finalized, Reed is encouraging the next player in his position to do the same.
“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?”