Patrick Queen had his greatest yr but with the Ravens final season, racking up a team-high 117 tackles, together with 9 for loss and 5 sacks. In a twist of irony, it additionally helped spell the tip of the linebacker’s future in Baltimore.
The Ravens on Monday declined Queen’s fifth-year choice, which can make him a free agent following the season, his agent confirmed to The Baltimore Sun.
Baltimore had till Tuesday to make the choice. Had they picked up the choice, it might have value $12.77 million.
That the Ravens didn’t decide up the choice for the 23-year-old was additionally not a shock.
Queen’s future was already unsure after the Ravens traded with the Chicago Bears final season for All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith, who earlier this yr signed a five-year extension with Baltimore for $100 million. Tying up extra top-end cash on the place was unlikely.
The twenty eighth general pick of LSU by the Ravens in 2020, Queen additionally struggled at instances. He misplaced his inside linebacker spot in 2021 and was moved to the weak aspect, and he performed about 5 defensive snaps per sport fewer than he did as a rookie. Last season, nevertheless, he shaped a harmful duo alongside Smith after the midseason commerce.
But on Friday, the Ravens used their third-round decide on Clemson inside linebacker Trenton Simpson. Eight minutes later, Queen tweeted, “Sheesh.”
Ravens basic supervisor Eric DeCosta declined to debate Queen’s standing in the course of the draft, saying solely, “I love Patrick. Patrick is, in my mind, one of the better [weakside] linebackers in the league. He’s smart, he works his butt off, he has a bright future. I think he’s a Pro Bowl linebacker in the making. In Trenton, we get a guy that was honestly the very best player available at the time.”
It simply gained’t be with the Ravens as Queen will hit free company in March 2024, except he’s traded earlier than then.
While Queen didn’t stay as much as expectations — quarterback Lamar Jackson dubbed him Ray Lewis Jr. in 2020 — he has confirmed productive. Over the previous three seasons, he steadily improved, together with his Pro Football Focus grade going from 29.7 his rookie yr in 2020, to 43.5 in 2021, to 70 final season.
Along with Justin Houston, who led the Ravens in sacks with 9 1/2, Jason Pierre-Paul, Odafe Oweh, Tyus Bowser and Smith, the Ravens featured one of many league’s higher linebacker models final season. They have been significantly good in opposition to the run with Smith and Queen within the center, rating third within the NFL in dashing yards (1,566) and yards per carry (3.9) allowed.
After the Ravens’ powerful 16-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Dec. 11, Smith was requested if he and Queen are the perfect linebacker duo within the league.
“I don’t think that’s a question,” he stated. “I think we are.”
Queen has been a giant a part of that. He, Smith and Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner are the one gamers since 2020 to tally at the least 300 tackles, 10 sacks and three interceptions.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com