Following the addition of veteran linebacker Patrick Queen on a three-year, $41 million deal Tuesday, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who seemingly didn’t like the addition for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who plugged a major hole on a very affordable deal for arguably the top linebacker on the market.
Anyone, except for ESPN Analytics’ Seth Walder.
Grading the move Tuesday for ESPN.com, Walder gave the Queen signing just a C+, questioning Queen’s abilities without Roquan Smith next to him. He also knocked the Queen signing somehow because new Seattle Seahawks head coach and former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald didn’t make a play for him.
“The lingering question with Queen as he heads to Pittsburgh: Was his breakout for real, or was it a product of playing next to Roquan Smith? It’s truly hard to know, but Queen had some impressive numbers,” Walder writes explaining his grade for the Queen deal. “Among off-ball LBs with at least 30 pass rushes with a pass rush win or loss, Queen had the second-highest pass rush win rate at 34%. His 0.7 yards allowed per coverage snap was better than average (0.9) for the position, per NFL Next Gen Stats. However, his run stop win rate (30%) was below average for the position. Queen recorded 3.5 sacks, had one forced fumble and was named an AP second-team All-Pro.
“…Still, I’m wary of paying this much to an off-ball linebacker — a non-premium position — without a long track record of exceptional play. And it’s also something of red flag that former Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald (now in Seattle), decided to pass on Queen despite a need at linebacker and money to spend.”
Very strange take from Walder, but what else is new.
Questioning Queen pre-Smith and post-Smith is certainly fair, but it’s also important to note that Queen struggled early in his career at a demanding position where it takes some time to fully adjust to the league overall. Â After two tough seasons, Queen bounced back in a big way and put together two strong seasons in 2022 and 2023 for Baltimore. Though the Ravens declined his fifth-year option ahead of the 2023 season, they certainly didn’t want to lose the breakout linebacker, especially to the AFC North-rival Steelers.
Add that it is a very affordable deal for the Steelers and it makes it all that much worse for Baltimore. Yet somehow, it’s not a good move for the Steelers, at least in Walder’s eyes.
Fortunately, CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan brought a more realistic outlook to the Queen move for the Steelers.
In a piece for CBSSports.com, Sullivan gave the Queen move a B+.
“A Pro Bowler last season and a former Ravens first-round pick, Queen fills what was a sizable need in the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense,” Sullivan writes. “Queen is a physical, hard-hitting player who is also versatile. Last season, he filled the stat sheet with 133 tackles, 3.5 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble. The addition of Queen adds yet another Pro Bowl-level player to a Steelers defense that already includes T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith and Cam Heyward.
“The only thing preventing this from being an A is the amount of money the Steelers are paying at a position that most teams are not paying these days. Pittsburgh had success with much more affordable linebackers last season before injuries wiped out the unit.”
On paper, it looks a bit expensive, but the way the Steelers structured the deal is very impressive and creates quite a bit of flexibility.
Add that the Steelers got Queen well below market value — Pro Football Focus projected a 4-year, $72.5 million deal — and it’s a great acquisition for the Steelers, period. There is no real downside to this.
Landing a good linebacker in Queen and addressing a major need is a good bit of business for Pittsburgh.
