If you were to ask Green Bay Packers fans what the team should improve upon in the off-season, you’d likely hear multiple things. You’d hear some people say that the offense needs more weapons and offensive linemen. You’ll hear that the team needs another RB to go alongside Aaron Jones.
More often than not, however, Packers fans will be ranting and raving about how the defense needs to take a step up next year. Fixing a defense is a lot easier said than done, however.
The team already got their DC for the future in Jeff Hafley. With their massive cap space, they’ll also be destined to sign some big names on that side of the ball alone. There’s one name that seems to be linked to the Packers the most, and that’s Baltimore’s Patrick Queen.
Who Is Patrick Queen And Why Is He Linked To The Green Bay Packers?
Patrick Queen has been a starting ILB for the Baltimore Ravens since the 2020 season. A player some of the older Packers fans are familiar with, as the team was heavily rumored to be getting him in that infamous 2020 draft. After Raheem Mostert ran amok in that NFC Championship, the team desperately needed someone to help secure the run in the future.
Instead, Green Bay went with Jordan Love. A controversial move at the time, it may have aged well – especially if the Packers wind up getting Queen anyway.
The Ravens also had a disastrous end to their 2019 season, similarly losing to a team with a dominant run game in the Tennessee Titans. The Ravens went on a mission in the offseason to shore up their run defense, acquiring guys such as Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe. The Packers were a lot more confident in the guys they already had, and weren’t on the same mission.,
This resulted in one time getting a long-term answer at QB, while the other went with a linebacker straight from the reigning NCAA champion team.
With that being said, it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows for the Charm City team. While Baltimore did shut down Derrick Henry the Wild Card weekend of 2021, the run defense was shaky at times that season. It’s gotten better each year, with the Ravens leading the league in run defense in 2021. Part of that had to do with how bad the passing defense was that year, although Queen’s presence had something to do with that as well.
Since the Ravens famously traded for Roquan Smith in 2022, the Ravens have had arguably the best ILB duo in the league. That means Patrick is elite, right?
How Good Is Patrick Queen? His Strengths And Weaknesses For Green Bay Packer Fans
Queen is a pretty special player. But if so, why did Baltimore roll with trading for Roquan in the first place?
Stats don’t mean everything, but on that front Queen has been a playmaker, to say the least. In just 4 years, Queen has 13.5 sacks, 11 total FF/FR, and 4 interceptions. He’s as good as an ILB can be at pass rushing, and he has a knack for forcing turnovers. He earned some votes for DROY in 2020, and in 2023 he made second-team All-Pro as well as the Pro Bowl.
At the time of the Roquan trade, Queen had been something of a disappointment. Note that he’s been most successful since the Smith trade, although it doesn’t mean Roquan’s made him great by any means. Eric DeCosta has a history now of drafting late-boomers, guys who take 3 to 4 years before they break out and become elite. Sound familiar, Packer fans?
Queen has been that type of player for sure. While Ravens fans underrated Patrick before the Roquan trade, his boom-or-bust playstyle early in his career was not loved by everybody. He had games where he single-handedly won the game for the Ravens. The 2020 Bengals game where he earned DPotW and the 2021 primetime game against the Browns where he had 5 TFLs come to mind.
Patrick has become a more sound player, improving in his weaker areas such as tackling, and screen/pass coverage. It’s still something of a weakness, though, which is why Packers fans should be somewhat hesitant in wanting Queen.
How Would Patrick Queen Would Fit In Jeff Hafley’s System?
New DC Jeff Hafley is supposedly a freeform coach with multiple schemes and systems based on the personnel and opponent.
With that being said, he primarily loves press-man coverage. While Patrick Queen is great in zone coverage, when it comes to guarding in man he’s far from elite. Getting burned by Travis Kelce and other big-name Tight Ends soured Ravens fans’ opinions of him despite how great he was everywhere else.
If the Packers acquire Queen, they need to move him all around depending on the play. If the team plays man coverage, they should move Patrick up on the line or play as a hole player/spy. He’s not bad at covering RBs, but when he’s on TEs/WRs, he’s getting targeted 9 times out of 10.
