How the Ravens Granted Patrick Queen a 'Blessing in Disguise'
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Patrick Queen's fourth NFL season is kicking off under not-so-regal circumstances.
The Baltimore Ravens defender did not have his fifth-year option exercised by the team, making him a de facto lame duck for the coming campaign. Things got a bit more awkward during the most recent NFL Draft, when the Ravens' drafting of linebacker Trenton Simpson caused Queen to declare "Sheesh!" on Twitter.
Queen, however, expressed his plans to take flight and embrace what's ahead for him, seeing it as a new challenge for his developing NFL career that appears to be trending upward.
"It's a blessing in disguise," Queen said of the Ravens' decline. "You see guys go on both sides of it and get paid either way. At the end of the day, I'm just focused on being the best teammate I can be, being the best player I can be, and just going out there and proving myself, going out there and playing the game that I love."
The 28th overall pick of the 2020 draft (which saw the Ravens bypass offensive threats like Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr., and D'Andre Swift), Queen started to generate some consistent pressure toward the end of last season, picking up a career-best five sacks. He now returns to a Ravens defense in its second year under coordinator Mike Macdonald's supervision, one that ranked third in points allowed and ninth in yards against.
Capitalizing on this prime opportunity for growth is one of the reasons why Queen opted to partake in the Ravens' optional workouts. He's most excited about working with Roquan Smith, who is set to work through his first training camp in Owings Mills after coming to Charm City in a trade last Halloween.
In the midst of it all, Queen made it clear that his desire football destination is indeed Baltimore. He's hoping that his early arrival will leave an impression on the front office ... but only when the time is right.
"Everybody around the locker room is saying Super Bowl or bust. I don't think it's or bust, it's just super bowl because you don't want to bust mindset," Queen said. "“I’m not focused on the future. I’m focused on right now. If I take care of my business, all of that will fall into place.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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