Pittsburgh Steelers ILB Patrick Queen has known winning throughout his career, but 3-0 with a new team feels different. After four years in Baltimore, he is already feeling at home in Pittsburgh. And after looking forward to his home debut in Acrisure Stadium, it lived up to the hype. That’s what he told Tim Benz on the Breakfast with Benz podcast.
“It definitely did. It was electric. Everything you could dream of. I’m so thankful for the fans, thankful for my teammates”, Queen said about his first Steelers home opener. “It just felt right. But that’s because the guys welcomed me with open arms since Day 1, trying to get accustomed to everything around here. The fans welcomed me with open arms. Every single person just welcomed me in, so it just felt normal”.
The Steelers played their best game last Sunday in a 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers as did Queen. At least it was his best game so far in his three games with the team. The Steelers signed him as a free agent this offseason on a three-year, $41 million deal. He still has another 45 games to go, not including the postseason.
While Patrick Queen admitted his first brush with free agency wasn’t all smooth sailing, he landed where he wanted. Playing in the AFC North for four years, he knew the Steelers very well, and experienced Pittsburgh through enemy eyes.
Now he is taking it all in as one of the good guys. While his former Ravens teammates questioned how he could change his stripes so completely, Queen has made no bones about where his loyalties lie, and where he believes is the right place for him.
A 2020 first-round pick, Patrick Queen started 67 games over four years with the Ravens. In that time, he recorded 454 tackles with 37 for loss, 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and four interceptions. While he is still looking to make that sort of splash with the Steelers, he is coming along.
Queen only totaled six combined tackles in his first two games with the Steelers. Last Sunday, he recorded eight tackles and nearly had an interception. It was actually his second shot at an interception in as many weeks, so hopefully he will snag one soon.
As a Raven, Queen played against the Steelers four times in Pittsburgh. He totaled 29 tackles in those four games with two passes defensed and half a sack. But the Ravens went 1-3 in those contests, the only win being the December 2022 game that Mitch Trubisky had to start due to injury. Queen, by the way, nabbed an interception in that one.
Now he has his first Steelers home game under his belt and his first Renegade, which feels surreal to many. It’s not often a player as important to a rival as Patrick Queen flips sides and totally embraces a new culture.
@deelovessports Patrick Queen linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers has his first regular season renegade experience and has goosebumps after! #styx #renegade #patrickqueen #linebacker #steelers #herewego #steelersdefense ♬ original sound – Dee Loves Sports
