Football teams are made up of players of all types from role players to stars. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed LB Patrick Queen for the most money paid to a free agent in franchise history. That indicates the team views him as a star, one worthy of finally replacing Ryan Shazier.
However, there are those who think Queen is more of a sidekick rather than a superhero. That he was Robin to Baltimore Ravens LB Roquan Smith’s Batman. An important role, for sure, but not the starring character. Could he be that superhero in Pittsburgh?
“Can he be that guy?” Baltimore-area radio host Vinny Cerrato said on Tuesday’s episode of The Vinnie And Haynie Show on 105.7 The Fan. “‘Cause [he was] asked to be C.J. Mosley, Ray Lews here, wasn’t happening…We talked about it for years, Batman and Robin. We say he’s a Robin and he needed a Batman to help him out. Because his career and his numbers took off once he got Roquan.”
Now there is absolute truth that Queen’s numbers got better once the Ravens traded for Smith. What player wouldn’t benefit from more attention being paid to another defender?
It just so happens that Smith’s arrival in Baltimore coincided with Queen’s third NFL season. The Ravens acquired Smith from the Chicago Bears on Oct. 31, 2022. That was after the team’s first eight games of the season.
Ironically, five of Queen’s nine tackles for a loss that season came before the Ravens acquired Smith. He also had one of his two interceptions before the trade. Matthew Marczi dove into that a bit in his Buy Or Sell column on Queen as a Pro Bowl LB in Pittsburgh, and it’s well worth looking into.
Then there’s the fact that Queen has been remarkably consistent in terms of tackles for a loss. In three of his four NFL seasons, he’s had nine tackles for a loss. The fourth season? Ten. Oh, and that came in 2021, before Smith’s arrival in Baltimore.
All this is to say that Queen was not a horrible player as some may make him out to be. Could he still be considered Robin to Smith’s Batman? I’m not sure there are many who would say Queen is the better player of the two.
But if you know Batman lore in the comic books, there is a Robin who grew to become a bigger superhero: Nightwing. Perhaps with two years under Smith, Queen has grown in his understanding and abilities on the football field. Maybe he’s ready to take on a bigger role than ever before in Pittsburgh.
Queen’s already taking on the mantle of leadership on the defense this offseason. He’s even opening his home to his teammates, a sign of someone committed to making the unit a family. Sounds a bit like Batman, no?
