Queen will now face Smith and the rest of his former teammates twice a year wearing enemy colors, and one of the biggest obstacles to his goal of winning it all will be his old team.
The Ravens enter 2024 with the reigning MVP in Lamar Jackson and the league’s reigning No. 1 scoring defense. Baltimore, also the conference’s top seed for a season, did not reach the Super Bowl, but is still on the divisional throne that Pittsburgh covets.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have yet to suffer a losing season in head coach Mike Tomlin’s 17 years, but they also haven’t managed to reach the level of a true contender in more than half a decade. Pittsburgh has won the AFC North once since 2018 and never ventured beyond the wild card round in three trips to the playoffs during that span.
The goal this offseason has been to avoid stagnating once again. Queen represents the team’s major addition on defense, while a revitalized quarterback room with newcomers Russell Wilson and Justin Fields should find stellar protection behind an offensive line boosted by new Draft talent.
The Steelers are noticeably more capable of competing than they have been in recent years, and they should have a good idea if their moves are paying off the first time they face the rival Ravens. The two clubs don’t meet until the second half of the schedule, with Pittsburgh hosting in Week 11 and Queen returning to face the team that drafted them in Week 16.
“That week, the Steelers-Ravens week is definitely the most anticipated week,” Queen said of matchups from past seasons. “It’s intense. Everything is at greater risk. In practice, the coaches are yelling and complaining and this and that. Because everyone knows what kind of game it’s going to be… Being on this side now, it’s going to be the opposite. So that now I will be on this side doing the same. I know that now they expect all that. Honestly, I can’t wait.”
By then, Queen also aspires to be more than halfway through a season that will consolidate him among the best in the NFL and propel him closer to his long-awaited ring.
“For me, just solidifying myself as one of the top three linebackers in the NFL,” Queen said, detailing his individual hopes for 2024. “There’s some people who say they’re the top three, some who say they’re the top 10, some who say they are the seven best, whatever. it can be, so my job this year is just to solidify myself in the top three. I don’t care as long as I solidify myself in the top three. And what comes with it is All-Pro, Pro. Bowls, tackles, turnovers. “I think turnovers are the most important thing: having the ball in my hands, whether it’s forced fumbles, interceptions or whatever I have to do.”
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