Ravens insider defends Patrick Queen amid unfair criticism

The Baltimore media has been relentless in its criticism of Patrick Queen since he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. The main argument is that Queen won’t be the same player without Roquan Smith by his side.

“I don’t know if (the queen) can be THE “He’s a guy without Roquan Smith. … I think Steelers nation is going to be a little disappointed,” Rob Long of 1.057 The Fan in Baltimore said on 93.7 The Fan in March.

In 2023, Queen played in all 17 games, totaling 133 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, six quarterback hits, six passes defensed, one interception and one forced fumble. He was named to the All-Pro second team and was selected to the AFC Pro Bowl, his first career honor in each category.

“He’s a former first-round pick who’s struggled,” SumerSports’ Eric Eager said of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko. Minced ham and football “And then they brought in a guy like Roquan Smith to help him, and Patrick Queen was able to shine. … Can he thrive in a linebacker room where he’s going to have to be the best now? He struggled in that role in Baltimore. Can he emerge? He’s still a young guy.”

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen at OTAs, May 28, 2024 – Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

In a recent letter on The Athletic, Ravens member Jeff Zrebiec defended Queen against criticism, saying the idea that he has to play with Smith to succeed is unfair.

“People tend to forget that Queen was one of the youngest players in the league when the Ravens drafted him, and he hadn’t played much college football. There were going to be growing pains, and they were probably exacerbated because middle linebacker is a prestigious position in Baltimore. But I think the idea that Queen needed Smith to come in to improve is unfair,” Zrebiec wrote.

“After a slow start to 2022, Queen started playing a lot better before the Smith trade. He was improving. Did Smith’s presence help Queen take it to another level? Sure. That’s just the way it works. Playing alongside great players also tends to elevate your level. I think Queen will be very good in those roles. He’s a smarter, more experienced and more explosive player than he was two years ago.”

During his introductory press conference with the Steelers, Queen took on the role of the villain, promising to shake up the rivalry between the Steelers and Ravens.

“It’ll be weird, but I want to be that bad guy. I want to be that guy. I’m looking to do stuff to them,” Queen said.

In an exclusive interview with Derrick Bell of The Steelers NowPatrick Queen revealed an interesting tidbit about why he signed with the Steelers as a free agent. According to Queen, he had opportunities to make more money elsewhere, but he chose Pittsburgh because he is focused on winning right now.