The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big addition this offseason by signing former rival Patrick Queen, who spent the last four years as a member of the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore opened its season on Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing 27-20 after Isaiah Likely was ruled out of bounds on a potential touchdown as regulation expired.
The Ravens started Trenton Simpson alongside Roquan Smith at inside linebacker, and former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky didn’t think Simpson was an adequate replacement for Queen.
“Baltimore missed Queen—see what happens opposite Smith as season goes on,” Orlovsky wrote.
Simpson tallied five tackles, 0.5 sacks, and a pass deflection, but the Ravens lack of speed at linebacker was evident as the Chiefs were able to attack the middle of field with their passing game. Queen’s speed has been an asset for the Steelers as T.J. Watt noted the defense is “noticeably” faster thanks in part to Queen, and that speed is something the Ravens missed.
They also missed his coverage ability, and it will be interesting the rest of the year to see how Simpson looks next to Smith. There was a thought that Queen could regress not playing next to Smith, but last night proved that Queen was a big part of the Baltimore defense. The Ravens could struggle to replace him, even with an All-Pro in Smith still at linebacker.
It’s one of the reasons why signing Queen was such a good move. Not only did it improve the Steelers’ linebacker room, but it also weakened a divisional rival they’re going to face twice a year. The Steelers have mixed and matched at inside linebacker over the past few seasons, and while the room started off strong last year, injuries to Cole Holcomb and Kwon Alexander forced the Steelers to sign Myles Jack off the street to fill out the room toward the end of the season.
Queen was an All-Pro last season and will be a key piece in the middle for the Steelers. He’s a big reason why the Steelers’ defense should be one of the best in the league this season. The Steelers already have two of the best pass rushers in the league in Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt, and now they add a run-stopper who can also take the load off Minkah Fitzpatrick when it comes to covering tight ends. It’s going to be fun to see how the Steelers use him this season, and it’s even better for them that his addition could weaken their biggest rival.
