Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen has been named to the 2025 Pro Bowl. The team made the announcement Wednesday evening that Queen will be the latest Steelers’ alternate headed down to Orlando this week. After effectively being replaced by Roquan Smith in Baltimore, Queen will replace Smith after he withdrew from the event.
Queen, a free agent who didn’t receive a contract offer from the Ravens, left to sign with the Steelers. He became their highest-paid external free agent in franchise history, inking a three-year, $41 million deal in March 2024.
Tabbed to be the team’s every-down linebacker, Queen served that role in his first year with Pittsburgh. He rarely left the field and battled a flu bug to play 99 percent of the snaps during the team’s Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Queen’s first season with Pittsburgh had its highs and lows. He struggled as a tackler in the early going before improving the rest of the season. Splash plays were hit-and-miss, but he came up large in a Week 11 win over the Ravens, highlighted by a forced fumble recovered by the Steelers at the end of the first half. He looked fluid and comfortable in zone coverage but struggled more often in man while his gap integrity against the run waned as the season wore on.
For the year, Queen finished with a team-best 129 tackles (six for a loss), seven pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one sack.
He’ll enter 2025 in a similar role with the Steelers, serving as their three-down linebacker.
The Steelers will make up a large chunk of the AFC Pro Bowl roster. He’ll join QB Russell Wilson, OG Isaac Seumalo, DL Cam Heyward, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, K Chris Boswell, and ST Miles Killebrew. OLB T.J. Watt was selected but withdrew due to injuries he played through during the year.
