Can ILB Patrick Queen be “the guy” for the Steelers?
The Steelers haven’t yet announced the signing of former Baltimore Ravens ILB Patrick Queen, but that’s likely elementary. He’ll take his physical, perhaps today, sign his contract, and then hold a press conference. Until he signs the contract, of course, the deal isn’t done, but I’ve never seen a player renege on Mike Tomlin.
The question isn’t whether he signs, of course, but whether he lives up to his contract. Although many thought he could have fetched more, the Steelers are still giving him the largest contract in team history to an outside free agent.
A former first-round pick, Queen’s narrative says that he didn’t truly come into his own until he found his Batman. The theory goes he took his game to another level after Baltimore acquired Roquan Smith via trade. But they made Smith the highest-paid inside linebacker in NFL history last year, already. They couldn’t afford both.
Now the Steelers’ new “Batman” is the Ravens’ previous “Robin”. But can he become that true leader, that No. 1 inside linebacker in Pittsburgh? At least statistically, his previous season is not a night-and-day difference.
Outside of total tackles, anyway, putting up 133 last year. He managed 117 in 2022, playing with Smith for half the season. But he intercepted three passes with four recovered fumbles and 28 tackles for loss in his first three years.
Queen is a good athlete and complete player, though he’s not an elite coverage linebacker. He’s also struggled at times with missed tackles, though less so the past two years. No doubt he’s the best player in that room since Ryan Shazier—I don’t think we need to debate about that.
My question, though, is this: was Smith’s influence on Queen bigger on the field or off the field? Because the Steelers have sage veteran linebackers who are willing to pass on knowledge. In all likelihood he starts next to one, presumably Elandon Roberts. Can he be that Batman on the field with an appropriate Robin?
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Kenny Pickett the guy? Will he get another season’s reprieve without a serious challenge? How will the team address the depth chart? Do they re-sign Mason Rudolph, one of few significant unrestricted free agents?
The Steelers are swirling with more questions this offseason than usual, frankly, though the major free agent list is less substantial than usual. It’s just a matter of…what happens next? Where do they go from here? How do they find the way forward?
