Steelers Sign Patrick Queen, Add to Cursed Ex Raven Brotherhood
It was said they'd destroy the Steelers, not join them.
Tuesday was a bittersweet day on the Baltimore Ravens' ledgers, as the team signed star running back Derrick Henry to their fold but lost breakout defensive star Patrick Queen. The linebacker's departure is royally heartbreaking, as Queen is set to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Ravens' long-standing rivals.
Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports
In the storied history of the seemingly eternal Ravens-Steelers tilt, 23 players have played at least one regular season game in both purple/black and black/yellow.
Queen, a first-round pick from 2020, joins that curious list, which includes both standouts and washouts, as documented below with some of the most memorable centrists of football's most dangerous matchup ...
LB James Harrison
Steelers: 2002-03, 2004-12
Ravens: 2003-04
Harrison was, technically speaking, never an official member of the Ravens, having only worked with them during summers. But, after two years in the Steelers system, Harrison joined up with the Ravens and wore their logo when he played the 2004 NFL Europe season with the Rhein Fire. Harrison proved himself well enough overseas to earn another try with Pittsburgh and went on to become one of the defining faces of smashmouth, hard-hitting football in the new century. The fact that Harrison was found on the Ravens' de facto scrap heap only made him more endearing to the spinners of the Terrible Towel.
KR/WR Jacoby Jones
Ravens: 2012-14
Steelers: 2015
Jones' Steelers tenure felt doomed from the start: his status as a Baltimore Super Bowl hero hardly endeared him to the steel cause and he had to ditch the No. 12 that he wore with both the Ravens and Houston Texans thanks to the digits' retirement in honor of Terry Bradshaw. Added mid-season after a brief tenure with the San Diego Chargers, Jones dropped three fumbles in four games in black and yellow, leading to his release at the end of the year. Jones briefly resurfaced in indoor endeavors before retiring as a Raven in 2017.
LB Carnell Lake
Steelers: 1989-98
Ravens: 2001
Lake may go down as one of the earliest entries on the all-time "Wait, He Played For the Ravens?!?!" team. Also appearing on the NFL's official All-1990s Team, Lake played for a decade in Pittsburgh before playing his season on the veteran minimum in Charm City, reuniting him with some former comrades like defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis. Those still interested in Lake's ongoing football endeavors will be satisfied come March 30, as the five-time All-Pro is set to start his third season as the Memphis Showboats' defensive coordinator in the United Football League.
QB Kordell Stewart
Steelers: 1995-2002
Ravens: 2004-05
"Slash" was perhaps a passer ahead of his time, a product of the "just make him a receiver" age before firmly establishing himself as a quarterback in 1997, when he put in a then-unheard-of 32 total touchdowns in his debut year as a starter. Though he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2001, Stewart never truly matched those statistical heights thanks in part to a revolving door in front of him. He was eventually usurped by XFL darling Tommy Maddox during the 2002 season and ended his career in Baltimore after a brief stint in Chicago. Though nowhere near the height of his powers, Stewart added to his cult status by posing as an emergency punter during a 2004 win over the New York Jets: pinning two inside the opposing 20 earned him unexpected Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the aftermath.
OL Alejandro Villanueva
Steelers: 2014-20
Ravens: 2021
Villanueva has served as a defender in the best way possible, serving three tours with the 75th Ranger Regiment in the United States Army before embarking on a football career. Despite his late entry, Villanueva established himself as a permanent presence on the Steelers' starting line before spending one final season with a bird on both sides of his helmet.
CB/S Rod Woodson
Steelers: 1987-96
Ravens: 1998-2001
Perhaps no one played both sides and still came out on top better than Woodson, who left an undeniable mark on both the Ravens and Steelers franchises, winning 1993's Defensive Player of the Year award in Pittsburgh before assisting the Ravens on the road to Super Bowl XXXV. As it stands, Woodson ranked in each franchise's top five in interceptions, his grand total of 71 (also earned with San Francisco and Oakland) ranking third in NFL history. Woodson remains active in the rivalry to this day, serving as the gameday analyst on the Ravens' radio broadcasts.
DT Chris Wormley
Ravens: 2017-19Steelers: 2020-22
Wormley is a footnote in unusual history, as he was the primary yield in a rare trade between the rivals. Somehow, it wound up working on all sides: Wormley, who spent this past year with the Carolina Panthers, picked up a career-best seven sacks during the 2021 season and the Ravens flipped the fifth-round pick obtained from Pittsburgh to land ballhawk defender Geno Stone in 2020.
