The Baltimore Ravens can’t be compensatory kings without losing a bunch of players, and with guys like Patrick Queen signing elsewhere, John Harbaugh is looking to continue adding to his cache of extra draft picks. Only this time, the player they lost switch sides; Queen signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A first-round pick in 2020 out of LSU, Queen put up 454 tackles in four seasons. He also recorded five forced fumbles, four interceptions, and 13.5 sacks. The Ravens declined his fifth-year option last year, which made him an unrestricted free agent in 2024. They obviously didn’t know the Steelers would be the ones to sign him, but those are the risks. How does Harbaugh feel about his former first-round pick now?
“I love Patrick Queen, he’s one of my all-time favorite people”, he said on Monday, via Joe Rutter. He added that they’re going to remain “friends forever”, saying, “I’ll give him a hug before the game, and I’ll root for him except for then”.
“Then”, of course, is the two to three times the Steelers play the Ravens every year as division rivals. Queen joining the Ravens from the Steelers is one of the most notable defections in division history, though not unique.
The Ravens are tight up against the salary cap this year, and they prioritized retaining DL Justin Madubuike. They already committed record-setting money to Roquan Smith, their other inside linebacker, so couldn’t commit big money to two.
The Steelers, meanwhile, have had a need for a steady linebacker for half a decade now since Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury. They even went so far as to nearly clear out the inside linebacker room a year ago, bringing in free agents. Queen is a far bigger signing than, say, Cole Holcomb from a year ago, though.
A year before Queen came out of college, the Steelers took their big swing at the position. They traded up from 20 to 10 in the first round to draft Devin Bush. After a promising rookie season, he tore his ACL in the first half of 2020, however, and never played the same again. He recently signed with the Cleveland Browns after leaving the Steelers in free agency in 2023.
Queen expects to be the leader of the linebacker room as soon as he steps in there, but they have veteran voices in there, most notably Elandon Roberts. He is not a do-everything linebacker, but he is the know-everything type and is a good leader. With Holcomb’s availability unclear, Queen and Roberts figure to pair up for the 2024 season.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spent years jawing at Queen when he neared Pittsburgh’s sideline. He got under the linebacker’s skin, letting him know, “you’re not a Raven”. Now that he no longer is, however, he seems to understand what his new head coach was telling him all along: you’re a Steeler.
