When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Patrick Queen in March, the expectation was that he would be just as impactful at linebacker as star defenders like Minkah Fitzpatrick and T.J. Watt are at their respective positions. Through two games, that hasn’t been the case. He hasn’t made any significant plays so far. It is still early in the season though, and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin doesn’t seem worried about Queen’s lack of splash plays.
“[Queen]’s doing everything we ask him to do,” Austin said Thursday via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on Twitter. “Those plays will come. Mike [Tomlin] talks about doing all the little things, and if you do, the splash plays will come.”
That sounds like the right mindset to have. There’s no need to hit the panic button on Queen this early in the season. He’s only played in two games, and he’s probably still just trying to get settled on this defense. Missed tackles have been a slight issue with him, but it hasn’t looked like a serious concern.
Really, the major reason why Queen’s lack of splash is probably being brought up is that it seems like virtually everyone else on the Steelers defense is making those kinds of plays. The defensive line has been wreaking havoc, and even some of the new additions in the secondary have made big-time plays. A cupboard full of clean dishes only makes the smallest speck of dirt stand out more.
The Steelers have still been elite defensively, and that means that Queen isn’t doing anything to hurt that unit. He just hasn’t had an opportunity to shine yet like some of the other players. Like Austin says, if he continues to do all the little things right, he’ll eventually get a chance to make a huge play.
At his price tag, the Steelers probably expect him to make splash plays, but for now, they don’t seem concerned. If these issues persist, maybe it’ll be a bigger problem, but for now, patience is a virtue.
Queen should have a chance to justify Austin’s faith in him this week. The Los Angeles Chargers have several players and coaches with whom Queen is very familiar. They’re a run-heavy team, meaning Queen is going to have a long day doing the little things right. However, if he can help shut down that powerful rushing attack, that will be a big enough impact on its own.
