Queen’s Gambit

At this time last year, it was a foregone conclusion that Patrick Queen would become a former Raven at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Earlier in 2023, the Ravens made Roquan Smith the highest paid interior linebacker in the league. A few months later Lamar Jackson got his $260M bag and in April of 2023 GM Eric DeCosta turned in the card to make linebacker Trenton Simpson the team’s 3rd-round draft pick. And let’s not forget that the Ravens opted not to exercise Queen’s fifth-year option making him an unrestricted free agent this past March.

The signs of a Queen departure were everywhere. He knew it, and if he didn’t realize it at first, his agent surely let him know that unless PQ took a significant hometown discount, home would soon be somewhere other than Baltimore.

It’s not as if the Ravens didn’t want to keep Queen, but the team’s financial obligations prevented an extension. Their salary cap situation just wouldn’t allow them to give Queen the type of contract he had earned. Attrition like this is among the NFL’s Laws of Nature.

That said, I’d venture to say that if the Ravens had known that Queen would “only” land a 3-year deal for $41M of which just $13.8M was guaranteed, with the team’s divisional arch-rival, maybe DeCosta would have figured out a way to keep him in Baltimore. Queen’s cap number in 2024 is a reasonable $6.1M.

The former LSU Tiger was an intriguing physical specimen who the Ravens selected with the 28th overall pick in 2020. The then 20-year-old linebacker captured the attention of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale who thought that he could employ Queen’s speed in a way that would heighten the effectiveness of the Ravens defense. But Queen, who hadn’t played all that much at LSU (he started just 15 games), didn’t exactly hit the ground running in Baltimore.

By the time Queen hit the open market, his career was on the uptick, and many expected him to land a deal that would far surpass what he agreed to in Pittsburgh, particularly after earning his first Pro Bowl nomination and being named 2nd-team All Pro. But maybe potential suitors wondered how Queen might perform when not beside Roquan Smith. Maybe the market soured on him when three Ravens defensive assistants left – two to coordinator spots in Miami and Nashville, respectively, and another to the head coaching spot in Seattle. Not one made a serious play for the Louisiana native.

Whatever the case, Queen is now a Pittsburgh Steeler and he’ll be opposite Lamar Jackson when the teams mix it up along the shores of the Monongahela River on Sunday.

Patrick Queen: “I will have feelings [on Sunday].”#Ravens at #Steelers pic.twitter.com/iDBrLcT6yN

— Tony Lombardi (@RSRLombardi) November 13, 2024

So, after watching the video above, you now know that Queen feels like he was dissed by DeCosta and John Harbaugh. Maybe his carefully chosen words are nothing more than some form of motivation, a gambit to gain a mental edge.

Emotions will undoubtedly be pumping adrenalin through the veins of the Steelers inside linebacker. And that’s probably something that offensive coordinator Todd Monken will use against Queen when dialing up plays during the game. Queen will likely be in attack mode and his aggression could represent opportunity for the Ravens offense. We’ll find out soon enough.

Comparatively speaking, at least according to PFF, Trenton Simpson outshines both Smith and Queen through 10 games this season.

Queen was a solid Raven, and you have to admire the fact that he never missed a game. He showed up for work every single time the team dressed. Playing his position? That’s impressive! Let’s put some respect on that man!

But that said, if the Ravens O-line can get to the second level or if Pat Ricard can get a hat on Queen, it will be a long day for No. 6. More than any other team, the Ravens know the weaknesses of their former mate, and they have the tools to exploit them, feelings or not.

And I’m sure The King will have something to say about Queen’s gambit.

Checkmate!

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2024/11/14/lombardis-way/queen-in-pittsburgh/