Former Steelers Player Slams Patrick Queen

As Essex noted, Queen sustained a hip injury in the second quarter of the Steelers' eventual loss to the Bills and did not return to the contest.

Queen's Performance

A staple of the Baltimore Ravens' defense for four years after being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, recording 454 tackles and 13.5 sacks over that span, Queen switched allegiances in the AFC North and inked a three-year deal worth $41 million with Pittsburgh.

Queen, who was a second-team All-Pro in 2023, served as the main communicator right off the bat for the Steelers upon being handed the green dot duties in his first season with the team.

The 26-year-old, who played 100 percent of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps in 2024, oversaw a unit that crumbled towards the end of the year as communication issues became a point of contention amidst a five-game losing streak.

Queen led Pittsburgh with 129 total tackles, which was the second-most in any season of his career, but he was credited with missing 21 tackles, which was tied for the fourth-highest total in the league among linebackers, per Pro Football Focus.

He has once again worn the green dot on his helmet when healthy while having been on the field for 99 percent of the Steelers' defensive snaps entering Week 13. The issue, however, is that Queen had already tied his missed tackle total of 21 from a season ago in just 11 games while essentially quarterbacking one of the league's worst defensive units.

Following Pittsburgh's Week 12 31-28 loss at the hands of the Chicago Bears, however, Queen placed some of the blame on schematic issues.

"I think sometimes it was schematic issues that we had," Queen said, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It's kind of hard for two guys that are underneath defenders to try to guard two routes that's overhanging off the hashes and stuff. As much as you know it, you're trying to play the run. You try to get back to a bang or whatever it is. It's hard to do that. It's kind of a bad spot to be in, but at the end of the day we just have to be better."

What's Next for Queen and Steelers?

If the Steelers don't turn things around quickly, the Steelers could be heading towards some widespread changes once the season ends.

Once standing at 4-1 following a Week 6 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh is now 6-6 after allowing the Bills to run for * yards against it this week.

The responsibility for the Steelers' discouraging campaign falls on any number of players, coaches and personnel within the organization, and Queen is certainly among that contingent.

He simply hasn't been the difference-maker in the middle of the defense that Pittsburgh had hoped he would be, but he does have a lot on his plate. It's not like it's easy to find a true replacement for Queen in-season either, but perhaps the team would consider some sort of change and up Payton Wilson's role while mixing in the likes of Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison more often.

Should the Steelers opt to move on from Queen in the offseason, they could save $13.33 million in cap space while taking on $3.868 million in dead money if they were to either cut or trade him.

There's a long way to go before that becomes a reality, but it has to be in consideration if Queen can't step up his play.

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