INDIANAPOLIS- The Pittsburgh Steelers gave LB Patrick Queen the richest free-agent contract in team history last offseason, and while Queen got off to a bit of a slow start in Pittsburgh, general manager Omar Khan is happy with his overall body of work. Speaking to the media ahead of the NFL Combine, Khan said Queen got better throughout the season and that he’s glad Pittsburgh signed him.
“Yeah, it was awesome. You know, I was glad to have him. He got better, you know, as he got more comfortable in our defense, where you just saw it,” Khan said. “I mean, you guys saw the speed and how exciting of a player he could be. I’m glad we got him.”
While Queen didn’t provide the All-Pro level play that he did with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, he was a solid cog in the middle for the Steelers’ defense. He led the team with 129 total tackles and also forced two fumbles, including a key one in the team’s Week 11 win over Baltimore. He’ll continue to be the team’s top inside linebacker going forward, although he’ll be working under a new position coach. Aaron Curry left to join the New York Jets coaching staff and the Steelers hired Scott McCurley as their new inside linebackers coach.
With another year in Pittsburgh and being more acclimated to the system, Queen’s performance should improve. It’s what happened last season with his play getting better throughout the season, and there were certainly flashes out of Queen that have the Steelers excited about him.
The 2024 season was also Queen’s first time serving as the green dot play caller for the defense, as that wasn’t a role he handled in Baltimore. The Steelers did have communication issues both in the secondary and with their linebacker group at times, and the hope is that will get cleaned up and Queen will become confident as the green dot this season. The defense around him should also improve too, with Khan confident the team will add at defensive line this offseason.
Queen should continue to ascend as a player in Pittsburgh’s system, and its inside linebacker room should be a strength going forward. Elandon Roberts is set to be a free agent in March, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Pittsburgh brought him back, and Payton Wilson should continue to improve after a rookie season where he showed some potential. But Patrick Queen is the key to the room, and Khan seems to think that he’ll be an anchor in the middle for Pittsburgh.
