Entering the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers were searching for that true every-down, impactful inside linebacker.
Patrick Queen ended up being the answer to that search.
The Steelers signed Queen away from the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year, $41 million deal to secure the 2023 second-team All-Pro linebacker. Not only did the Steelers shore up their inside linebacker room in a major way, they depleted Baltimore’s, too.
For Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, he’s thrilled to have a “really sharp football player” in Queen while also giving the Steelers a complete three-down linebacker.
“He’ll go in with the green dot and he’ll be the guy that’s gonna be out there on every snap,” Austin said of Queen, according to video via 93.7 The Fan. “But I think he does a unique thing because he can cover, he can blitz, he can do a lot of things, and he’s a really sharp football player.
“So, I’m really happy we have him with us. And it gives us an opportunity to build around him in that room.”
Teryl Austin confirms Patrick Queen will be #Steelers defensive play caller pic.twitter.com/T1GdyA8jcl
— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) June 12, 2024
Joining the Steelers after four seasons in Baltimore, Queen is stepping into the green dot role for the Steelers, which is a rather important role defensively.
Last season, the Steelers had a handful of players wearing the green dot due to injuries, which led to different voices attempting to do all the communicating from sideline to on the field in quick fashion. At times, that led to miscommunications. Queen should be able to put an end to that as the sole communicator defensively, barring injury.
Wearing the green dot is not something Queen did in Baltimore, but he did get some work with it during practices, which should have him relatively prepared for his new role in Pittsburgh.
So far this offseason, communication has been very good defensively, at least from Queen’s vantage point. He has said it’s been very good throughout OTAs, adding that he believes it’s creating a “special group” defensively. As a three-down linebacker and an impactful defender, Queen will help make that defense all the more special.
Hopefully he’s able to hold down that every-down role and remain as effective as he was in Baltimore in 2023. Should he be able to, the Steelers will take another step forward under Austin as one of the best defenses in football.
