The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't been extremely active in free agency throughout the history of the organization, until Omar Khan took over the general manager role. Khan gave out the largest free agent contract in Pittsburgh's history when he signed inside linebacker Patrick Queen during the 2024 offseason. Queen had spent the first four seasons of his career with the Steelers' biggest rival, the Baltimore Ravens. Now he is donning the black and gold, which should be a major upgrade for Pittsburgh's defense.
Not only will the Steelers benefit from the addition of Queen, but it also hurts the Ravens. He was one of their best defenders during the 2023 season, as he was named an All-Pro at the end of the year. He and Roquan Smith were a great tandem at inside linebacker in Baltimore, and many have questioned whether or not Queen was only good because he was playing alongside one of the best linebackers in the league. After the Ravens' opening night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, it looks like it could be the other way around.
Smith had his struggles while going up against Kansas City on Thursday night, but it is important to note defending the Chiefs' offense is no small task. Smith got called for horse-collar tackle early in the game, and also hit Patrick Mahomes while he was out of bounds later on in the second half, but no penalty was called. He did haul in an interception as well, but Mahomes threw the ball right to him as he got hit while passing which altered the trajectory of the ball.
The Ravens linebacker also recorded seven tackles, including one for a loss, in the contest. Smith even struggled in the game according to the metrics provided by Pro Football Focus, as he received a grade of 29.4 for his defense against the Chiefs. There is no question that Smith is one of the best linebackers in football, and this game was likely just a rare struggle for the linebacker as the new season gets underway. He will surely bounce back, but the linebacker sure seemed to miss his old running-mate on Thursday night.
Baltimore replaced Queen with linebacker Trenton Simpson, who is in his second-season with the Ravens. The second-year linebacker also struggled on Thursday night as he was given a grade of 46.1 for his defensive efforts. The young defender recorded a sack and three tackles, but struggled mightily in pass coverage as he gave up three receptions on four targets.
Queen is expected to elevate Pittsburgh's defense, specifically in coverage from the linebacker spot. The Steelers have been searching for a good coverage linebacker, and they may have finally found one with Queen as well as rookie Payton Wilson.
Steelers' Patrick Queen Looks To Carry His Success Into The 2024 Season
Queen is coming off of the best season of his career. He recorded 133 total tackles with the Ravens during the 2023 season, while also recording an interception and three-and-a-half sacks. He broke up six passes and had nine tackles for loss. His athleticism and physicality at the linebacker position will free up the other Steelers defenders like Minkah Fitzpatrick and TJ Watt. He is the best linebacker the Steelers have had since the devastating injury that happened to Ryan Shazier.
Being divisional rivals, the Steelers and Ravens will have at least two showdowns during the 2024 season, both coming in the second half of the year. These games have always been intense and chippy, but now there will be the added factor of Queen flipping sides. His former teammates have spoken out about him going to a rival, and he will get the opportunity to prove them all wrong later in the season.
