The Pittsburgh Steelers invested in Patrick Queen to help transform their defense. Through the first month of the season, that process has not played out with rapidly. There are legitimate reasons for that, but he is playing increasingly better football as time goes on.
“I think he’s just getting more comfortable in how we play,” Cameron Heyward said of Queen, via the Steelers’ website. “There’s different styles of football. We didn’t play all that much together in the preseason, but I think he’s feeling more comfortable and more confident. Hopefully that’s not just the ceiling. I think he can continue to keep growing, and the best is just to come.”
Looking to address the inside linebacker position, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million deal. At that price tag, they obviously planned for him to be their every-down linebacker. But that also meant something of a new role for him.
Not only would he be changing teams, and changing systems, he would also be changing roles. With the Steelers, Queen is responsible for relaying the defensive signals, a duty he didn’t handle with the Ravens. At least, he didn’t for long. Roquan Smith took that over once he came along.
The Baltimore Ravens drafted Patrick Queen in the first round in 2021. He developed into an All-Pro player over the course of his four years there, but they already paid top dollar for Smith. Entering free agency, he faced the question of whether he could be the lead dog after blossoming alongside a star.
Through the first six games of Queen’s Steelers career, we can’t exactly answer that question in the affirmative. But the reality is that we can’t answer that question yet at all, because we are still gathering information.
Before coming to the Steelers, Queen compiled 454 tackles, including 37 for loss, with 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 4 interceptions over four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh brought him on board to be that type of playmaker.
He has made very few of those types of plays, though he has some TFLs, and he has had some shots at an interception or two. But his play is clearly trending in the right direction, posting 13 tackles the last time out.
Queen is never going to be the most polished of middle linebackers. He is going to miss some tackles, and he will have a lapse in coverage here and there. But his sideline-to-sideline range and explosiveness is going to make a difference.
Don’t get me wrong, it already is, even if it isn’t always as readily noticeable. But it feels like only a matter of time before he is truly in his own element with the Steelers. Queen is learning to handle the green dot responsibilities in-game, and as he does that, he continues to play better. The splash plays will follow.
