It’s no secret the Baltimore Ravens have struggled to replace Patrick Queen since he departed for the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason. Roquan Smith has provided elite play as the starting linebacker, but the second starter at the position has been inconsistent. Baltimore had a trio of Trenton Simpson, Malik Harrison, and Chris Board logging snaps at linebacker in 2024, but in 2025, the position battle is a total guessing game.
Like Queen, Harrison also left for the dark side, joining him in Pittsburgh. Board was a key special teams contributor and functional linebacker, and now he is headed to New York to join the Giants. By the looks of it, Simpson should take complete control of the duties opposite of Smith this season, but given his track record thus far, he should not be a runaway favorite by any means.
This could be Trenton Simpson's last chance to be a starter in Baltimore
Alex Ballentine and Bleacher Report previewed the 2025 season by ranking every NFL roster’s needs, trade assets, and cap situation. He highlights linebacker as Baltimore’s weakest position group. The team lost their two free-agent linebackers this past offseason, so there is uncertainty after Smith.
Ballentine wrote: "The biggest question is at linebacker. Roquan Smith is an elite player, but Trent Simpson was a questionable replacement for Patrick Queen last season. They drafted Teddye Buchanan in the fourth round, but that's not enough to answer those questions right now."
Simpson was supposed to be the next man up to replace Queen in the 2024 campaign, but he failed to meet those expectations. The 2023 third-round pick had every opportunity to prove he could be a starter in Baltimore last year, but he was subpar, earning an uninspiring 58.7 overall grade per Pro Football Focus.
The Ravens defense had a down year in 2024. The secondary was horrendous, and Simpson surely did not help. He started 13 games in 2024 but fell out of favor with the staff and eventually saw his snap count decrease, allowing Harrison and Board to take over. This change and moving around the chess pieces in the secondary completely shifted Baltimore’s defensive woes.
With Harrison and Board now gone, Simpson has earned a second chance with Baltimore’s coaching staff. He has the second most experience of any linebacker on the depth chart. But if that experience doesn’t translate to production on the field, the Clemson product could end up in hot water, especially after the additions made this offseason.
The Ravens replaced Board with another special teams ace in Jake Hummel. While he’s a talented linebacker, the former Ram shouldn’t pose a threat to Simpson’s reps, but Baltimore’s 2025 fourth-round will do so.
The Ravens selected Teddye Buchanan with the 27th pick in the fourth round, and he could already compete for the second linebacker job. His athletic profile and size are similar to that of Simpson’s, fitting the exact mold of linebacker defensive coordinator Zach Orr and the Ravens want in their system. While Simpson has the experience and advantage of knowing the system, if Buchanan comes into camp playing with his hair on fire, he could quickly earn the coaching staff’s trust.
With limited elite competition, the third-year linebacker Simpson has time to work it all out this offseason. However, the Ravens have their eye on a Super Bowl in 2025. If he underperforms early in the year, Baltimore's patience will be tested. With a win-now mentality, Simpson won’t be allowed to make the same mental errors this season, which could let Buchanan, Hummel, or even a midseason acquisition take the field with the starting defense.