Patrick Queen believes Steelers LB room is going to be 'great'

The Steelers have completely rebuilt their inside linebacker room over the past two years with the likes of Patrick Queen, Elandon Roberts, Cole Holcomb and 2024 third-round rookie Payton Wilson.

Queen hasn't been around long but his expectations for the group are already sky-high following the first two days of OTAs.

"We're great," Queen said. "We've got the guys to do it, especially when Cole comes back. We're going to be clicking on all cylinders. I can't wait."

Holcomb suffered a season-ending knee injury during Pittsburgh's Week 9 game against the Tennessee Titans last season.

On Monday, head coach Mike Tomlin said, "He's working to get back to us and doing a heck of a job of doing it."

However, Holcomb doesn't need to rush back from his injury thanks to the team's added depth in Wilson, who has already caught the attention of Queen.

"Athlete. Got that mindset. You can kind of tell the way he talks. He's a really smart player," Queen said of his first impressions of Wilson. "That's the type of guy that you want in your room."

Wilson has an injury-riddled history of his own, which is why he fell to the third round in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he's been able to stay healthy the past two years.

In 2023, Wilson won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the top defender in the country and the Butkus Award as the nation's best linebacker after registering 138 total tackles, six sacks, one forced fumble, three interceptions and six passes defensed.

The biggest obstacle to overcome for defenses with new faces is communication, but Queen believes he and his new teammates are ahead of the game.

"It's great, especially for like the first two days. We're way ahead of where some people might be," Queen finished. "So I think with us doing that right now, we're doing a hell of a job."