With training camp officially opening for the whole team on July 28, the Baltimore Ravens are running out of time to get their 2020 NFL Draft picks under contract before everyone is due to report. But they got one step closer, agreeing to terms with first-round pick, linebacker Patrick Queen, according to the team on Twitter.
Queen’s deal means Baltimore has gotten nine of their 10 2020 NFL Draft picks under contract. The only remaining player is wide receiver Devin Duvernay, the Ravens’ third-round pick.
Baltimore isn’t alone in seeing delays with rookie contracts. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, there are still 14 first-round picks that haven’t signed their contracts or agreed to terms yet. With a slotted rookie scale, most rookies are normally signed by this point with the few holdouts being newsworthy focal points. However, with the coronavirus pandemic causing the league to implement social distancing restrictions that include the cancellation of in-person minicamps, this year is an unusual one.
Queen is expected to be the Ravens’ starting inside linebacker this season with solid odds to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. The loss of Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor in free agency pushed Baltimore to draft not only Queen in the first round, but Malik Harrison in the third round, with the hope they’d be able to play an impact role immediately.
Queen could be one of the Ravens’ players most hurt now that the NFL has canceled the preseason. Still, it’s good for Baltimore to get Queen under contract and on the field as quickly as possible so they can prepare him for Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns.
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