ESPN's Mina Kimes - Ravens Have 'Weaponized' Linebackers
ESPN’s Mina Kimes had some colorful words to describe how the Baltimore Ravens are using linebackers Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith.
"I don't think we can stress enough how well their two starting linebackers are playing," Kimes said. "Patrick Queen, LSU, is flying around the football field right now, I feel like he was in on tackling on every single screen for a loss or a minimal gain, he is playing so fast. And then Roquan Smith, his running mate inside. I don't know if it's possible to weaponize a linebacker but that's exactly what Mike Macdonald is doing.”
Through two weeks, Smith has 21 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack while Queen has 19 tackles and a sack. They’re considered to be one of the best linebacking cores in the NFL and anchor the Ravens' defense.
Queen has been with Baltimore for his whole career since it drafted him with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of LSU.
Smith joined the Ravens under different circumstances after starting his career with the Chicago Bears. He was acquired via trade, with Baltimore sending Chicago a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round pick and linebacker A.J. Klein.
The dynamic duo spearheads defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald’s unit, answering any task he puts them up to. Macdonald was on the team's staff from 2014 to 2020 before spending one season as the defensive coordinator at Michigan before coming back to Baltimore to serve in the same capacity.
Next up for Smith, Queen and the Ravens is a home matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. ET.
