When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million-dollar contract this offseason, they were expecting him to be an immediate starter and leader in the middle of the defense. Queen is coming off a Pro Bowl season for the Ravens in which he recorded 133 tackles, and the 24-year-old should just be beginning his prime years. However, some discussion has circulated — mostly from frustrated Ravens fans – that Queen needs the assistance of his former All-Pro linebacker teammate Roquan Smith in order to maintain his excellence.
Mark Kaboly of The Athletic joined the Pat McAfee show on Tuesday, and he praised Queen, labeling him an “A+ player.”
“He’s definitely going to be an upgrade to this team at inside linebacker,” Kaboly said. “Just another star on the defense. They have a ton of stars on every level right now, and he’s just a different breed. He is definitely a three-down linebacker, and I’m sure people in Baltimore are pulling out stuff that he can’t do without Roquan Smith. You hear about that…[but] he’s definitely an A+ player.”
Queen will play a different role in Pittsburgh than he did in Baltimore the last couple of seasons. He will be the unequivocal leader of the middle of the defense, wearing the green dot that signifies he will communicate with the sideline and be responsible for making the defensive play calls. Roquan Smith had that responsibility when they played together last season, and he was undeniably the leader of the Ravens’ defense.
Kaboly believes that Queen is well-suited for his role in Pittsburgh. He can be the every-down, run-stopping, play-calling, electrifying middle linebacker that the Steelers have lacked since Ryan Shazier’s career-ending injury in 2017. It’s clear that Kaboly believes he belongs in the same star conversation as T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cam Heyward. Watt has commended Queen’s speed, and the two should frequent the backfield, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks and running backs.
In addition to being an “A+ player,” Kaboly also mentioned that Queen’s an “A+ trash-talker.”
“During live drills today, they did one-on-ones and one of the running backs blocked a linebacker,” Kaboly said. “They cheered and [Queen] said, “Man, that wasn’t a block, that was a tackle.” “[Queen] just started getting in people’s faces like that, he is not holding back.”
Queen joins a list of Steelers defenders who are also elite trash-talkers, including the likes of Ike Taylor and Joey Porter Sr. If Queen can replicate either of their playing careers, then the Steelers’ defense will be in excellent hands. It’s great to see that Queen is already comfortable on his new team, one that used to be his bitter rival. Hopefully his upward trajectory continues in the Black and Gold.
Ravens fans can rationalize the loss of Queen however they want, but it’s time for him to cement his legacy as a Steeler.
