It says a lot about Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith that a season in which he earned his third straight first-team All-Pro selection can be considered a “down year.”
On the surface, Smith’s numbers look just as good as ever. The 28-year-old had 154 total tackles (fifth most in the league), four tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, four passes defended, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, so he was all over the field as usual.
Where he somewhat struggled, however, is in his underlying numbers. Pro Football Focus gave Smith a 65.2 overall grade and a 59.8 coverage grade on the season, placing him at No. 86 and No. 89, respectively, among 189 qualified linebackers. Like the defense as a whole, though he improved significantly in the second half of the season.
Still, those underlying numbers are enough for PFF’s Dalton Wasserman to name him as the Ravens’ top bounce-back candidate, even though the term doesn’t fit quite as well for him as it does for other players.
“The loss of Patrick Queen clearly affected Roquan Smith early last season, particularly in coverage,” Wasserman wrote. “Through Week 10, Smith ranked outside the top 60 qualified linebackers in both overall and coverage grade. Like the rest of Baltimore’s coverage unit, he turned things around down the stretch, earning an excellent 81.8 coverage grade from Week 11 onward.
“If he can carry that momentum into 2025, Smith should return to the level of production he delivered during his first two seasons in Baltimore.”
It’s interesting to think that Queen’s absence may have impacted Smith early on. After Queen left Baltimore to sign with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason, many doubted his ability to succeed away from Smith, noting that his numbers improved significantly after the latter’s arrival in 2022. Both ended up putting together strong seasons overall, but it’s very plausible they work best as a pair.
Queen won’t be coming back any time soon, though, so Smith will look to maintain and improve on his strong play with a younger player starting next to him.
