Roquan Smith is ready to war against Patrick Queen; believes Trenton Simpson can be NFL’s best 2nd-year LB

The All-Pro linebacker is happy for his former running mate in the middle of the Ravens defense and is even more excited for the potential of his new projected new one.

It didn’t take long for Roquan Smith to build a strong rapport with former Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl inside linebacker Patrick Queen after being acquired via trade at the 2022 midseason deadline. The two of them quickly established themselves as the best linebacker tandem in the league in the second half of the season and in 2023; they then put all debate to rest in their first and only full season together.

Queen parlayed his breakout campaign in the final year of his rookie deal in which he was voted to his first career Pro Bowl and earned second-team All-Pro honors into a lucrative deal in free agency this last month. Unfortunately, his new team isn’t just in the AFC North but it is the Ravens’ longtime archrival Pittsburgh Steelers on a three-year contract.

Both Smith and Queen are signed through the 2026 season as the field generals of their respective defensive units. On Wednesday, the two-time All-Pro spoke with the media for the first time since his still close friend crossed enemy lines. While he expressed his happiness for Queen getting his bag and creating generational wealth for his family, Smith didn’t mince words when sharing his thoughts about what this means from a football standpoint.

“Life happens and he is somewhere else right now. I got to tear his picture down in the linebacker room,” Smith said. “I’m happy for him, I’m wishing him all the best and it’ll be good to see him twice a year. He’s still my guy but you know, war is war and that is what it is.”

The two of them most likely won’t be on the field at the same time unless it is during pre-game warmups or to exchange pleasantries, although Smith did jokingly suggest he might implore Ravens special teams coordinator Chris Horton to put him in on special teams for a play if Queen happens to be on the opposing unit.

While the former 2020 first-rounder’s departure created a Pro Bowler-sized void next to Smith in the Ravens’ other starting inside linebacker spot, it also provided a prime opportunity for 2023 third-rounder Trenton Simpson. After predominantly playing special teams as a rookie last year, his pathway to seizing a larger role on defense is wide open.

At the team’s annual pre-draft press conference last week, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta told reporters he believes Simpson is “going to have a great season” in 2024. Smith not only echoed similar sentiments and belief but he went as far as to suggest the former Clemson standout could establish himself as “the best second-year linebacker in the league.”

“I know the type of respect he has for the game and for himself as well,” Smith said. “The way he has been busting his tail all offseason, talking with [Ravens strength and conditioning coordinator] Scott [Elliott] and everyone how he is busting his tail, wanting to be the best and I know his mindset. I’m excited, he has all the potential in the world [and] it’s just going to be about putting that on the field week in and week out and trusting in his ability.”

Unlike Queen who was thrown into the deep end as a rookie during the COVID-19 pandemic where rookies didn’t have a preseason or offseason program before taking the field in the fall of 2020, Simpson got to sit and learn behind the best linebacker duo in the league. He got to earn his stripes on special teams, playing sporadically on defense prior to the regular season finale where he flashed his explosive playmaking potential in the second half against the Steelers in Week 18.

In a season-high 26 defensive snaps, Simpson recorded seven total tackles, including two for loss as well as his first career sack and quarterback hit. The impressive small sample size was but a tantalizing glimpse of what he could be capable of if given an expanded role and extensive playing time.

Players often make the biggest leaps in their production and aptitude from year one to year two after going from drinking through a fire hose as rookies to having a much better grasp of the elevated mental and physical aspects of playing at the professional level. They also have a full NFL offseason under their belts as opposed to training for the scouting combine, pro days and flying all over the country for pre-draft visits.

Simpson is one of several young Ravens players who are primed and will be expected to step up after the mass exodus of starters and quality depth pieces the team saw depart in free agency including Queen. Thankfully, he will have Smith guiding him along the way and next to him to hopefully elevate his play in the same transcendent fashion he did for his predecessor for the past season and a half.