They say if you’re good at something, never do it for free, and Patrick Queen sure isn’t after signing a three year, $41 million deal with the Steelers. He will lead his former foes from Pittsburgh with a clear goal in mind: take back the North. And just like that, Baltimore’s Queen is dead: long live the Queen of Steel.
The numbers don’t lie
To say this is a big pickup for the Steelers is an understatement. In his four years in the league, Queen averages 113 combined tackles, 74 solo, and just about 3.5 sacks. Over that span he picked off 4 passes, had 37 tackles for loss to go along with 33 QB hits, forced 5 fumbles, recovered 6, and scored a touchdown. But it wasn’t just the numbers that made Ravens fans flock to his side.
In Baltimore he was beloved for his passionate and intense style of play, but now he figures to hear the boo birds every time he makes the trip down I-76 to I-70. If there is any place for an aggressive, talented, electric linebacker to play, it’s in the Steel City. He is just another great inside linebacker to wear the black and yellow, as he follows in the footsteps of the Jack Lambert, James Harrison, Chad Brown, and Levon Kirkland.
What does Queen mean for the Steelers defense?
On the field, Queen is an agent of chaos and adding him to this defense helps on multiple fronts. He is known for his high energy and his leadership. When people think about linebackers getting sideline to sideline, flying around the field with reckless abandon, and hitting anything in the opposite colored jersey, the Steelers’ new leader has to come to mind immediately. Sure, every once in a while his over-enthusiasm will lead to a personal foul, but that’s a little price to pay for such a valuable piece to a defense.
It’s safe to say that there is not a better pair of bookends in the NFL than T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. With the addition of Patrick Queen to this already vaunted squad, the Steelers will be able to get to quarterbacks from all angles. There is no inside linebacker better at collapsing pockets from the inside out than Queen.
— 🦈 (@Patrickqueen_) March 12, 2024
Buying into the rivalry
What makes this plot even more theatrical is Queen’s tweet teasing that that this is more than just another signing and his former teammates are returning the favor. He knows what this rivalry means to the fans, players, and organizations of both sides. The newest Steelers inside linebacker will quickly become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the place he was so revered and loved will become hostile territory where fans will surely want to throw him in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor after his first big stuffing of Lamar. One thing is for sure, when it comes time for these two rivals meet, no one will have to ask, “Why so serious?”
