Player: ILB Patrick Queen
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Steelers ILB Patrick Queen had arguably his best game since signing with Pittsburgh, and with perfect timing, no less. Against his former team, he recorded 10 tackles, one for loss, and a forced fumble and recovery. He played the villain role to splendid effect, and it resulted in a huge win for the Black and Gold.
Not only did Justin Tucker spot the Steelers a pair of threes, so did Isaiah Likely. That is because he coughed up the football to Patrick Queen at the end of the first half, allowing the Steelers to sneak in an extra field goal.
Considering the Steelers only won the game by two points, each play was huge. Pittsburgh was losing before Queen’s forced fumble; in fact, the Ravens looking to go into halftime leading. And surely the Steelers had no expectation of touching the ball again in the second quarter, the Ravens trying to play safe.
But Patrick Queen was committed to making a play, his first major one since signing with the Steelers. As a member of the Baltimore Ravens, he had plenty, but this was his first sack, fumble, or interception here. You can say it’s about time, but the fact is he made the play.
Queen now has 72 tackles on the season, including five for loss. He has one forced fumble, one recovery, and three passes defensed. But his typical season includes more robust numbers than that. Given that he has been on an upward trajectory lately, there is hope for even more.
The Steelers paid good money to add Patrick Queen to the the nucleus of their defensive unit. While he hasn’t had any “poor” games, he has certainly played on a learning curve. One thing that is quite evident is that he is growing more and more comfortable throughout the season.
And perhaps getting a big win over the Ravens is a turning point for Patrick Queen as a Steeler. Maybe he exorcised some demons and is finally comfortable in his new uniform, his new city, his new locker room. He’s a Steeler now without question, and more and more, he’s playing like one.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
