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Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen played the first four seasons of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, but he will be on the other side of the AFC North rivalry for the first time Sunday because, as he put it, his old team didn’t want him back.
“I wasn’t wanted back,” Queen said Wednesday, per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I didn’t get an offer back. It’s definitely kind of upsetting, being there for four years, the bond that you grow with your teammates. At the end of the day, the first few months, you definitely go through those feelings.”
Pittsburgh saw an opportunity to add a quality defensive player and take away from its rival this offseason and responded by signing the linebacker to a three-year deal.
The move came after the Ravens declined Queen’s fifth-year option the previous year and instead decided to give Roquan Smith a contract extension after acquiring the latter in a trade from the Chicago Bears.
It wasn’t a stretch to see the writing on the wall for Queen after the Smith extension, and he ultimately chose to go to Baltimore’s primary rival.
The timing was notable, as he was coming off a career-best season in 2023 that saw him make his first Pro Bowl behind 133 total tackles, six passes defended, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one interception.
It was the third time in his career he surpassed 100 total tackles, and he is on pace to do so again in his first season with the Steelers with 62 tackles and three passes defended through nine games.
Queen hasn’t been as much of a pass-rushing force with Pittsburgh, but it also doesn’t need him to with T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward anchoring the defensive line. Instead, the linebacker has helped contain the run for a defense that is fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game.
He and the rest of the defense will be put to the test Sunday against Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. Stopping the Ravens starts with at least containing their ability to make plays with their legs, which means Queen will be under quite the spotlight.
If he can deliver against his former team, he and the Steelers will move two games ahead of Baltimore in the loss column in the race for the AFC North crown.
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