Roquan Smith Showered With Praise By Ravens Personnel For Strong Performances

The Baltimore Ravens is finding their stride just in time thanks to the efforts of the former Chicago Bear in Roquan Smith fitting in like a glove in their imposing defense to the point that his new teammates are loving having him around.

Following their tightly contested victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ravens players had nothing but nice words to say about Smith including his linebacker partner Patrick Queen.

"If you watch the film, you see every play he runs to the ball non-stop with his hair on fire and really lights somebody up... He's an all-around good guy; a great player, a physical player. How he acts as a person, you wouldn't take him to be such a physical guy," Queen said as quoted by Sports Illustrated.

Smith and Queen's partnership had drawn very loose parallels to the hard-hitting duo of Baltimore icons Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs, though it would be blasphemous to say this early due to the latter pair's sustained success over the course of multiple seasons.

However, all things have to start somewhere and this could very well be Smith and Queen's jump-off point.

Many questions have been levied against Queen's ability to be the next great linebacker for the Ravens, and he appeared to not be up for the challenge despite having two seasons under his belt entering the 2022 NFL season.

Smith's arrival via trade to Baltimore seemed to have awakened something in Queen and they have since become a pairing that would anchor the Ravens' defense.

Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Smith and Queen caught an interception each and were disruptive forces to the point that their archrivals had difficulty igniting their offense.

"His communication on the field is really great. I think it helps out everybody when he's yelling loud enough for the other team to hear and the fans to hear. So, that helps a lot. But he's a communicator in all aspects of life. So, it's good, it's good," All-Pro cornerback Marlon Humphrey said about Smith's impact following the two-point Week 14 win.

It appears that something truly special is brewing in Charm City as Humphrey noted that Smith and Queen are "monsters" and that their pairing is "looking really deadly."

Defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald had nothing but positive things to say about their new star linebacker.

"He's obviously comfortable in his own skin, and we love him for it. Just his personality on a day-to-day basis... He's just a great guy to be around," MacDonald declared during their pre-game press conference ahead of Week 15.

Smith, and Queen by extension, are again expected to play a major role then and Ravens fans could not be any happier for the team as they look to make a run towards the Super Bowl.