OTL: In Defense of Patrick Queen

A bit of a different Out to Lunch today, Flock. Hope you enjoy!

We’ll be sharing this cool film breakdown from YouTube user Edgar Allen (the man remains mysterious; attempts to contact him have gone unanswered.)

Here’s the video:

Edgar breaks down the Ravens’ split-field coverage from one particular play late in the season: the David Ojabo strip sack of Joe Burrow from Week 18 that we all remember fondly.

Kyle Hamilton and Roquan Smith are lined up to Burrow’s right side, and Hamilton does just enough to confuse the quarterback about which way the coverage is going.

This video in particular though, is a bit more about the Ravens’ other inside linebacker, Patrick Queen. Queen, of course, deleted the Ravens from his social media accounts a few weeks back and has, as a result, been the subject of some trade speculation. It seems more likely that the Ravens exercise Queen’s fifth-year option, but the player would of course prefer some longer-term stability. With Smith having been locked up for big money in January though, can the Ravens afford to pay a second inside linebacker?

In the video, Edgar talks about how impressed he is with not just Queen & Smith, but with defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and the way he has the defense playing and communicating.

While most Ravens fans would certainly agree with the assessment here, that Queen’s play was impressive at times, especially once Smith lined up next to him, it’s would be hard to argue with trading him or letting him play out his fifth-year option. We have to assume that the Ravens could find another, cheaper, inside linebacker who could benefit from the system Macdonald has in place as well as having such a smart veteran as Roquan lined up next to him.

Whether that player is a young draftee or a cheap veteran remains to be seen. For now, the safe bet is probably that #6 will be lining up in the middle of the Baltimore defense again in 2023.

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