Baltimore Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen experienced his fair share of ups and downs in his rookie season. But going into year two, the Ravens have high expectations for their 2020 first-round pick.
The 2021 season will be a huge one for Queen, and now he’ll head into the new year with a new jersey number.
Queen announced on Twitter on Tuesday that he will be switching from the No. 48 that he wore in his rookie season to No. 6. The NFL’s new jersey number policy allows all non-linemen to wear single-digit numbers.
And Queen is clearly taking advantage of the rule change.
https://twitter.com/Patrickqueen_/status/1394718398773407752
The former LSU star wore No. 8 in college and even joked about switching back to that number now that the new rules are in place. Unfortunately for Queen, a certain former MVP might make that difficult for him.
Lamar Jackson may be donning No. 8 for the foreseeable future, but Queen is ready to forge his own legacy with the No. 6.
Only three players in Ravens history have ever worn the No. 6 in a regular-season game. Most recently punter Johnny Townsend, who was signed for one late-season game last year, wore the number.
Before him, kicker Stephen Hauschka wore the number from 2008-2009 and fellow kicker J.R. Jenkins wore it in 2002. Queen will be the first non-specialist to wear the number.
The Ravens have high hopes for Patrick Queen in 2021
Patrick Queen experienced his share of growing pains in his rookie season, but the Ravens came away impressed with his playmaking ability.
The 21-year-old finished with a team-leading 106 tackles, nine tackles for loss (also a team-high), three sacks, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and an interception.
He did it all for the Ravens last year, so despite his deficiencies in coverage and defending the run, Queen flashed All-Pro potential if he could harness his athleticism.
The 2021 season will be a crucial one for Queen as he looks to build upon the promise he showed in his rookie campaign and become a more complete player in year two.
The Ravens’ stud linebacker will be wearing a new number in his second season. And with that, he’ll attempt to carve out his own legacy with the single digit.