Proposed Baltimore Ravens "surprising cut" will make you laugh

The Baltimore Ravens have had an eventful offseason, to say the least.

Things went dark when franchise player Lamar Jackson demanded a trade. Things went bright when the Ravens agreed to the richest deal ever with their quarterback. Things evolved with the signings of veterans, the drafting of uber-talented rookies, and the departure of some key players.

What is left to address around Maryland, then? Well, for most folks, that's the depth at two key spots: the linebacker/edge-rushing unit and the cornerback position.

Even with that in mind, Aaron Becker of YardBarker still thinks that the "most surprising cut" among AFC North teams will be made by the Ravens and that it will involve four-year linebacker Patrick Queen. This is what Becker wrote in his piece, and how he reasoned his choice.

"It won't come in the form of a release, but the Ravens could move on from Queen, a 2020 first-round pick. Perhaps he'll get traded during camp. Queen is productive — the 23-year-old had a career-high 117 tackles, five sacks and two interceptions in 2022. But Baltimore declined his fifth-year option and drafted his potential replacement in Trenton Simpson in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Baltimore also signed fellow LB Roquan Smith to a five-year, $100M deal. There's only so much money to go around at this position."

- Aaron Becker, YardBarker

If you're thinking Becker regretted his pick the minute he made it, you're right.

The author chose to highlight the possibility of Baltimore cutting Queen, only to start his blurb with "it won't come in the form of a release, but." It is always the but, folks.

While the Ravens have decided to not extend Queen's rookie deal past his fourth season (in 2023) and instead are forcing him to play what would amount to a contract year ahead of next spring when he will enter free agency, that's still ways away from being a reason for Baltimore to cut the linebacker straight.

Becker tried to defend his choice by writing that "perhaps, he'll get traded during camp," but, weren't we talking about the "most surprising cut" here, huh?

The possibility of an eventual trade is there, reasonable, and logical to a certain extent if the Ravens reach a point (now or already into the regular season) in which they have the clarity of mind to know they will simply move on from Queen next March. In that case, then yes, a trade would definitely make sense.

Another possibility is the signing of veterans such as Kyle Van Noy or Justin Houston (the former is reportedly visiting Baltimore next week; the latter has a long past with the organization and tends to sign his contracts into the summer) helping Baltimore deem Queen as a surplus asset not worth keeping around.

The conclusion: the Ravens might end up writing Patrick Queen's name in a transaction list at some point during the next few weeks or months... but they won't be doing so by just cutting him.

More Baltimore Ravens News