Steelers Bolster Their Defense With This Surprise Signing
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan has done it again. The offseason magician struck gold on Tuesday afternoon, filling a major hole in the Steelers defense by signing former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen to a three-year deal worth $41 million. The former Raven finally comes to the right side of the storied rivalry.
Pittsburgh potentially finally gets the piece of the puzzle that has been missing since Ryan Shazier went down, while also taking a big defensive piece from a division rival. It’s a big win for Pittsburgh who usually doesn’t do this kind of business in Free Agency. The deal that Queen signed is the largest that the Steelers have ever given to an outside free agent.
Steelers Adding To Already Stacked Defense
The Steelers haven’t had a linebacker like Queen in a long time. He’s fast, seeks out contact, and lays the boom. Queen was a Pro Bowler and Second Team All-Pro in 2023. On the season he started all 17 games for the Ravens, posting 133 tackles and 84 solo tackles along with nine tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and three and a half sacks. The Ravens declined to pick up his fifth-year option and he went on to post a career-high in tackles and tying his career high in pass breakups.
His availability was also great last year, starting in all 17 games and appearing in 97% of defensive snaps. Something likely important to the Steelers with the linebacker room getting as banged up as it did last year. Queen also posted a 73.1 PFF grade in 2023.
Queen Has Been On Some Elite Teams
Before having a spot on the impressive Ravens defense for the past four years, Queen played his college ball at LSU and was part of the team that some call the greatest college football team ever, 2019 LSU. Guys like Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Terrace Marshall, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and guys on defense like Queen, K’Lavon Chaisson, Grant Delpit, Derek Stingley Jr, and current Steeler, Brenden Fehoko.
Not only was Queen a part of that team, he was a massive player on that defense. He won the CFP National Championship Defensive MVP in LSU’s big win. On the season, Queen played in 15 games and had 85 total tackles with 37 being solo, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. He finished fourth in the SEC in tackles for loss.
Now Queen gets to join the likes of TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Joey Porter Jr on the Steelers defense, and he’ll get a crack at his old team that let him go to sign Derrick Henry twice a year. If the Ravens and Steelers games weren’t intense enough, this is thrown into the mix. Both games could/should get Primetime consideration.
In an old interview that surfaced upon the signing, Queen talked about an exchange on the Pittsburgh sideline with Mike Tomlin a few years back where Tomlin told him something along the lines of “You’re not a Raven!”, and now that statement becomes true.
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