4 scapegoats if things go wrong for the Ravens in 2022
By Kristen Wong
3. Patrick Queen, LB, Ravens
Speaking of players with bust potential, linebacker Patrick Queen, unfortunately, makes this list after two mediocre seasons with the Ravens.
The Ravens have been patiently waiting for a breakthrough year from the 2020 first-rounder for some time now, and if he doesn’t live up to expectations, he’ll quickly be branded as a scapegoat for the team’s ongoing linebacker issues.
This offseason, Baltimore brought back veteran Josh Bynes to inject reliability and leadership into the defense, two qualities Queen notably lacks. Queen played 80 percent of defensive snaps in his rookie campaign and 76 percent of defensive snaps this past year, yet the production still isn’t there.
In 2020, Queen led the league with 22 missed tackles and often struggled against the run and in man coverage; one year later, Queen’s flaws remain the same despite minor improvements across the board.
Last season, he finished fourth in the league in missed tackles with 20 and had as many impressive performances as he did atrocious ones.
Heading into 2022, Queen will likely take snaps once again as the weakside linebacker, but sooner or later the training wheels have to come off. A third inconsistent season could spell the end of Queen’s tenure in Baltimore.