Baltimore Ravens Rumors: 3 sensible Patrick Queen trades with the Texans

With the Baltimore Ravens declining the fifth-year option for young linebacker Patrick Queen, the possibilities are now pretty limited for the two sides' futures.

Queen could play out this year and hit free agency in 2024, banking on himself and proving he's worth a long-term commitment from another team. Or, the Ravens could opt to trade him and try to get something in return for a guy they likely aren't going to see back in Baltimore after the 2023 campaign.

Baltimore drafted Queen's replacement in Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson when they took him early in the 2023 NFL Draft just days ago, making it even more plausible that a Queen trade could happen eventually. The Houston Texansa are a team that makes a lot of sense for Queen, especially with new head coach DeMeco Ryans having such a strong defensive background.

If the Texans were interested, what kind of deal could the two sides work out?

Trade Number 1: The Ravens trade Patrick Queen to the Texans for a third-round pick

This first trade is pretty basic, as the Ravens as Houston for a third rounder in 2024. This deal also assumes that the Texans are going to extend Queen to a long-term deal. If that's the case, then a third rounder becomes a pretty doable price for a cornerstone player like Queen.

The one part of this deal fans should know, is that the Texans don't have their own third-round pick next year. They traded that to Arizona as part of the deal to move up and secure this year's no. 3 overall pick, which they used on Will Anderson Jr.

Speaking of Anderson, he'd pair really well with a young linebacker like Queen. Houston would have a defense featuring Anderson, Queen and last year's first-round cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. For a head coach like Ryans, this would be a dream come true in his first year taking over at the helm.