The Pittsburgh Steelers poached an inside linebacker from their division rival, signing LB Patrick Queen to a franchise-record contract in free agency. In Baltimore, Queen was paired up Roquan Smith for the last year and a half, and both were All-Pros last season, with Smith making the first team and Queen making the second team. On The Rich Eisen Show today, Smith talked about Queen and said he thinks he’s just getting started in his career. He also wished his former teammate well in Pittsburgh, until they meet up.
“He’s a brother of war now. He’s still my brother, but when we’re playing each other, it’s war just like any other opponent,” Smith said. “But I told him I’m very happy for him. The guy bust his tail last year and I know he grinded day in and day out, changed a lot of things to take him over that next step. And I think he’s just really getting started in his career, like where he really could go. But I’m wishing him all the best in Pittsburgh until he plays us, and then that’s a different story.”
Despite being in the league for four seasons, Queen is still just 24 years old (he’ll be 25 on Aug. 13), which is still quite young for an NFL player. Queen had a solid rookie season for Baltimore, finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He didn’t have the best two years after that, which led to his fifth-year option being declined. But in 2024, Queen emerged as one of the better defensive players in the league with 133 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception.
While a lot of the credit for Queen’s success has been given to playing alongside Smith, Smith saw firsthand how Queen worked last season to make himself into a better player. In Pittsburgh, Queen is going to be the team’s defensive play caller and its top inside linebacker option, and he’s going to have to prove that his season last year wasn’t just a byproduct of Smith’s success. Given the work he’s put in to improve his game, Queen should be another leader for Pittsburgh’s defense with other stars, including T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
The Steelers-Ravens’ matchups are always heated, and Queen in Pittsburgh should add another layer to the NFL’s best rivalry. Smith said it will be “extra weird” to see Queen with the Steelers.
“It’s definitely extra weird. It’s gonna be a little weird for sure, but I’ll meet him at the 50-yard line and say, ‘Let’s go,'” he said.
For those two games a year, Queen and Smith will just be bitter rivals and not friends. That’s the way it should be with Pittsburgh and Baltimore.
The Steelers are hoping that Queen will be the answer for an inside linebacker room that’s had its problems over the years, and it seems as if Smith is of the belief that Queen can be that guy. If he continues to grow and evolve for the Steelers, he should be a key piece of the team’s defense for years to come.
