The Pittsburgh Steelers envision ILB Patrick Queen as the future heart and soul of their defense. Even as a former Baltimore Raven, he is a player of stellar talent and ability, and they believe he can become the leader in the tradition of Ryan Shazier, James Farrior, and Larry Foote. He already appears to be off to a good start, including an open invitation for the summer.
As Brian Batko writes for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Patrick Queen is inviting his defensive teammates down south over the break. “He planned to send a group text to the whole defense”, he says, “with an open invitation to spend time with him between minicamp and training camp”.
Queen even said that the invitation is open to QB Russell Wilson. “If he wanted to come down to the crib, go fishing or whatnot, he’s more than welcome to. … It’s really for anybody if they want to come to Louisiana and hang out”.
Those are the sorts of things leaders do—the sort of thing Wilson did when he first got here. For that matter, Wilson probably has some plans of his own beyond boxing for his teammates during this time. But I’m not quite sure we’ve had these sorts of mass retreats on the defensive side of the ball. That’s more of a quarterback thing, as Ben Roethlisberger used to do, not for guys like Queen.
But that is why the Steelers gave him $41 million over three years. It’s the largest free-agent contract the Steelers have ever given out, and not by coincidence. They have watched Patrick Queen in the AFC North for the past four years, so they know his skills.
I think the Steelers also know they are getting a highly motivated player. Everyone attributes his recent progression to his teammate, Roquan Smith, which coincided with the peak of his career. But a young player like Queen would naturally improve during the same timeframe. No doubt, he wants to prove that he doesn’t need Smith to thrive.
Indeed, he wants to show that he can lead an entire defense—and to lead the Steelers in Smith’s division. Not that there is any animosity at all between Smith and Queen, but it’s the baby bird leaving the nest.
Not only is Queen taking the initiative outside the football field, he is doing so on it also. He is fully integrated into the green dot responsibilities now, for example, and reports from OTAs paint the picture of a guy who is ready to take that next step.
That’s what the Steelers need Queen to be after years of uncertainty at the inside linebacker position. As it turned out, Shazier’s career-ending injury set them back half a decade or so. It seems the Steelers believe they finally have that leader and playmaker they have been missing. And they only had to look to Baltimore to get him.
