Ravens coach John Harbaugh laments losing 'all-time favorite' Patrick Queen to Steelers

ORLANDO, Fla. — John Harbaugh didn’t want to lose inside linebacker Patrick Queen from the Baltimore Ravens. Not after Queen was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2023. And particularly not to a division rival such as the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Still, that doesn’t mean the Ravens head coach holds any animosity toward Queen for defecting to the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

“I love Patrick Queen, he’s one of my all-time favorite people,” Harbaugh said Monday at a breakfast for AFC coaches held at the NFL annual meeting. “We’re going to be friends forever.”

Even if Queen will be wearing black and gold instead of purple and black this season.

“I’ll give him a hug before the game, and I’ll root for him except for then,” he said.

Queen had a career-high 133 tackles for the Ravens last year. He added 3.5 sacks, one interception and six pass breakups but became a free agent when Baltimore declined to exercise his fifth-year option before the 2023 season.

Asked what type of player the Steelers will get in Queen, Harbaugh said, “He’ll bring a great football player, a great attitude, a great work ethic — everything that he brought to us.”

Titans coveted Rudolph

During his six seasons with the Steelers, Mason Rudolph made three of his 13 career starts against the Cincinnati Bengals. The sample size was small, but it caught Brian Callahan’s attention that Rudolph went 3-0 in those games, including a win in December that ignited the Steelers’ late three-game winning streak.

Callahan, then the Bengals offensive coordinator, kept that in mind after he was hired as head coach of the Tennessee Titans. And it’s a reason that led the Titans to signing Rudolph in free agency. Rudolph joins Malik Willis as quarterbacks who will back up second-year pro Will Levis.

“I liked Mason coming out of college as a player,” Callahan said. “He’s been called up to play and come in for Pittsburgh and played pretty well for them.”

Callahan also praised the way Rudolph handled his role with the Steelers and wanted that type of quarterback on the roster to aid Levis in his development.

“I’ve always believed in the importance of a good backup — both in the room and on the field,” he said. “I think Mason fits that bill. … I’m excited about what Mason brings and what he has shown as a player in the league.”

Booming business

When the Steelers signed Cameron Johnston in free agency, they got a punter whose worst net average in six NFL seasons was 40.6 yards. That figure was still higher than what Pressley Harvin achieved in two of his three seasons with the Steelers.

Harvin’s career best of 41.1 net yards in 2022 was exceeded by Johnston five times — twice with the Philadelphia Eagles and in all three of his seasons with the Houston Texans.

Which is why Tomlin referred to Johnston as the “belle of the ball” among punters in free agency. The Steelers signed Johnston to a three-year, $9 million deal to kick off free agency.

“His body of work since he’s been in the NFL,” Tomlin said when asked what attracted him to Johnston. “His ability to kick in less-than-ideal circumstances. We have a lot of information and tools at our disposal in today’s advanced analytics world. Just about every situation or direction that we looked at it from, he was the belle of the ball in terms of the market, and we’re glad to have him.”

Bringing back Pat?

Could Patrick Peterson return to the Steelers later in free agency? Tomlin didn’t discount the possibility of a reunion with Peterson, who was released earlier this month in a cost-cutting move.

At age 33, Peterson began with the Steelers as a starting outside cornerback but shifted to safety by the end of the year because of injuries in the secondary. If Peterson returned, it likely would be to play inside.

“We’re open to it, but there is so much business in front of us,” Tomlin said. “We felt like it was appropriate with him so he could assess what is out there.”

By cutting Peterson, the Steelers didn’t have to pay a $3 million roster bonus that was due to Peterson.