The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big splash in free agency this year when they signed ILB Patrick Queen. It was not only their biggest signing of this free agency period, but their biggest external signing in team history. The hope is that he can be the every-down, all-situations linebacker that the team has been missing on defense since Ryan Shazier’s tragic 2017 career-ending injury.
He has a rare blend of youth and experience that is not often seen for second contract players. He is turning 25 years old in just a couple weeks. To put that into perspective, rookie ILB Payton Wilson is also 24 years old right now.
Queen had his fifth-year option declined by the Baltimore Ravens last offseason and went on to have the best season of his career. He was named a second-team All-Pro and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. He was a playmaker for one of the best defenses in the league, and now joins a Steelers defense that should be firmly in the running for the league’s best.
During the Friday night lights practice at training camp, Queen was interviewed by SiriusXM Radio’s Movin’ The Chains with Pat Kirwan and Jim Miller, and described how the Steelers plan to use him on defense.
“It’s just more of me being me,” Queen said. “So I wouldn’t be on one spot of the field the whole time. I’ll be able to move around and do different things. You know, man coverage, blitzing, zone coverage in the middle, zone coverage on the outside. I’m always gonna be in a different spot. I’m never gonna be in the same spot the whole game.”
The Steelers have talked endlessly about how much they value versatility. The defense is at its best when players can move around and disguise coverages to confuse offenses before the snap. Minkah Fitzpatrick ended up being the primary chess piece last year when he was healthy, which limited how much he could play his natural role of a deep safety that roams sideline to sideline. He talked about wanting to get back to “Minkah Ball” earlier in the offseason, and keeping him at his natural spot is part of that.
Queen should enable the Steelers to do a lot of that, as he is athletic enough to stop the run sideline to sideline and also run with tight ends and receivers in coverage. He also excels as a blitzer, where he has the fifth-most sacks of inside linebackers since 2020.
Just as I was writing this piece, Alex Kozora — who is on-site at camp — posted an update of Queen blowing up yet another screen pass.
With great playmakers at every level of the defense, they should be able to take a step forward and be among the league’s best. Queen’s versatility as a defender will be a large part of that.
