PITTSBURGH — Flipping sides in the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens rivalry is rare. It’s even rarer for a star player from one side to head to the other side. Arthur Maulet is the most recent player to turncoat on the Steelers to head to Baltimore, but when Pittsburgh landed Patrick Queen this offseason, it represented a seismic shift in the AFC North. And for Queen, switching sides is not all easy, either.
He expected some pushback from new teammates but found a welcoming home instead. Head coach Mike Tomlin is highly familiar with Queen from his time at LSU, and now that he has had the opportunity to ink him, Queen is getting everything he expected out of a Tomlin-led culture.
“Yeah, he’s even cracking jokes the last three days,” Queen said of Tomlin. “So, you know, I wouldn’t expect none of this. It’s definitely, you know, having the right mindset before practice, during practice. But it’s all strictly football-related. You know, crack jokes, sure, but there’s also a time when he’s serious, and you could tell.”
Patrick Queen takes it one step at a time to learn about his new teammates and surroundings. He will likely wear the green dot this season and become the leader of the linebacker room. It’s a far deeper room than last year, as Queen and Payton Wilson joined the room in addition to Elandon Roberts and a recovering Cole Holcomb.
Queen revealed that he signed with the Steelers for less than other teams offered. He had the option to go for the money but came to Pittsburgh because he believed in their winning culture. Now that he’s here, Queen hopes to pounce on the opportunity and return the Steelers to their winning ways.