Ravens' Roquan Smith Has New Partner in Crime

Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith has been arguably the best player at his position for some time now, but he'll face a significant challenge this season.

For his entire time in Baltimore, Smith has had another Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker alongside him in Patrick Queen. With Queen joining the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason (essentially committing treason for Ravens fans), he will no longer have that luxury. Instead, 2023 third-round pick Trenton Simpson is expected to start alongside Smith, and while the Clemson product has great potential, it may take him some time to realize it.

Like any good teammate though, Smith is doing everything he can to make his new partner in crime feel welcome. Not just on the field, but off of it as well.

"We're definitely building a relationship. I feel like last year was a little different, [he] was a younger guy, [his] head was spinning all over the place, but there's numerous things that we do now starting in the offseason," Smith told reporters Tuesday. "We're actually going to take a trip together, and then going to lunches, dinners and things like that and kind of understand him.

"I think once you understand an individual, you're able to get closer with him and being able to understand a person that makes him lean on you a little bit more and actually know what gets them going and what [makes a] person [tick]. I think that's just all part of understanding someone."

Smith is a household name at this point, but Simpson is more of an unknown quantity. The Charlotte native was a versatile star in college, racking up 164 total tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss and 12.5 sacks in three seasons at Clemson.

Simpson didn't play much in his rookie season, understandable considering he was behind two Pro Bowl linebackers. He finished the year with 13 total tackles, over half of which came during the regular season finale against the Steelers.

Now that Simpson has a greater opportunity at hand, Smith believes he'll become a fan favorite in Baltimore very quickly.

"I think [Trenton Simpson]'s going to surprise a lot of people. He's still learning for sure, but I think the way that he doesn't make the same mistakes over and over every day – he learns from his mistakes, and I think that's crucial when you're young, being able to not make the same mistakes twice. I know he doesn't understand how fast, how explosive and how powerful he is, but once he actually understands that, which I think will be very soon, watch out."

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