Steelers know what they have in Queen
One of the biggest questions surrounding the Steelers’ acquisition of linebacker Patrick Queen this offseason has been whether Queen came into his own because of the addition of linebacker Roquan Smith or because it was just his natural progression as a player.
It’s a chicken-or-egg question.
Queen was talented enough that Baltimore selected him with the 28th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. But off-ball linebackers, especially those asked to play a lot in coverage, often struggle for a couple of years. Quarterbacks and offensive coordinators are very adept at manipulating young linebackers to take false steps. And one false step in the NFL can lead to a big play.
The Ravens acquired Smith, himself a former No. 1 pick, from Chicago at the trade deadline in 2022. Smith played eight games with the Bears in 2022 before joining the Ravens for the final nine games.
In the season before joining Baltimore, Smith had a career-worst 47.8 defensive grade, according to Pro Football Focus. In his first eight games with Chicago in 2022, he had a 52.6 grade, so he wasn’t markedly better – which is why the Bears were willing to move on from him.
Over his final nine games with Baltimore, his PFF grade was 84.7.
Queen’s grade from PFF – which is subjective to be sure – improved from his first season to his second and was already trending toward being better in 2022 when Smith was acquired.
So, did Smith make Queen, or was he simply making a natural progression?
The other question that must be asked is whether it might have simply been that Baltimore’s defensive scheme made both better? That certainly seems to be the case for Smith.
The Steelers played against Queen twice a year the past four seasons. They have a pretty good grasp on what kind of player they were getting.
And they weren’t concerned about paying him $41 million over three seasons in the richest deal they’ve given to an outside player.
They don’t seem at all concerned whether it was Smith that made Queen better. And the evidence seems to suggest that was not the case.
• “I think we should be prepared to move early. I think we should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. So I know (Ben) Cherington has that flexibility to look across a broader range of alternatives, options, but also a timeline of when it makes sense to strike.”
That was what Pirates owner Bob Nutting recently told reporters while talking about his team’s possibilities of making moves as the Major League Baseball trade deadline approaches and what Cherington, the team’s general manager, can do leading up to that day.
The Pirates shouldn’t wait too long.
After a 9-2 start to the season, the Pirates went on a 5-17 run that left them at 14-19. A couple of weeks later, they lost to Milwaukee to fall to a season-worst six games under .500 at 19-25 on May 15.
Since then, they’ve played above-.500 baseball to keep themselves alive in a tepid National League playoff race.
Adding another bat or two, and perhaps some bullpen help, could help this team make a strong push for the postseason.
The Pirates decided – rightly – at the start of the season to utilize rookie pitchers Jared Jones and Paul Skenes. But that also means the clock is ticking on how long those two might remain in Pittsburgh.
The time to strike is now, not to wait until next year, to make an aggressive move.
• The 2024 Washington County Pony World Series team has been chosen, and just as it did a year ago when two players from Fort Cherry and one from Burgettstown were on the roster, making them the first players from those organizations to play on the team, this year’s edition has another trendsetter.
Avella’s Jorden Moore was one of the 15 players chosen for this year’s team, making him the first player from that school district to be picked for the team.
This year’s breakdown includes nine players from Washington Youth Baseball (Moore played at WYB his entire career), five from Canon-McMillan Youth Baseball and one from Fort Cherry Youth Baseball.
The Founder’s League, from which the Washington County team is chosen, also will have a separate team that will compete in the Host Area Zone tournament in late July to attempt to qualify for the World Series.
That team, for the first time, includes players from Beth-Center and Bentworth. Those programs, along with Charleroi, Ringgold and California, will be eligible to have players try out for the 2025 Washington County team.
Both Washington County teams from the Founders League will be in action at the Washington 14-year-old Invitational Tournament that begins July 4 and runs through July 8 at Lew Hays Pony Field.
Dale Lolley writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter. He hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and is president of the Founders League.