The Steelers signed Patrick Queen as an every-down linebacker—but what if they decide that’s not best for the team? While it’s reasonable to assume Queen will improve in his second season with the team, they also have a diversity of skill sets in that particular room. And they already have two other players who have started for them at the position—Payton Wilson and Cole Holcomb. That’s not even mentioning Malik Harrison, who offers a different body type from the rest.
It’s all gotten Brian Batko wondering what the team might be thinking. The Steelers obviously like Queen, but what if the room breaks a certain way during the offseason? What if, for example, Wilson has a breakout offseason, or Holcomb states a strong case on his own behalf?
“I’ll be curious to see how that all shakes out at the inside linebacker position. Do they keep Patrick Queen as that every-down guy?”, Batko said on the North Shore Drive podcast. “While he is young, [there’s] a lot of tread off the tires. He’s played more than 5,000 snaps already in his NFL career because he doesn’t come off the field”.
Before signing with the Steelers, Patrick Queen spent his first four seasons in Baltimore. The Ravens selected him in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but did not pick up his fifth-year option. He steadily improved while there, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2023, then cashing in during free agency.
Though he nearly matched his tackle total from the previous year during his first season with the Steelers, Queen lacked the requisite playmaking that earned him his handsome contract. He came close to several interceptions but landed none of them. He forced two fumbles, recorded a sack, and produced six tackles for loss, but he still fell short of expectations. Although he technically made the Pro Bowl, he did so as a replacement.
I’m not sure, though, that workload is the issue. After logging 1,090 snaps with the Steelers last year, Patrick Queen has 4,921 in the regular season over five seasons. That doesn’t include six playoff games during that span, but endurance is part of a linebacker’s job description. Still, if there are other players who deserve to play, it’s something to consider.
“A lot of depth at inside linebacker—more than they’ve had, really”, Batko said. “You’d have to go year by year, probably, to find one where you’ve got four starter-capable dudes in Queen, Wilson, Holcomb, Harrison”.
The other complication is the fact that it’s typically a linebacker who wears the green dot. For the Steelers, that’s Queen, and that isn’t likely to change. Ideally, you want one player to wear the green dot for the entire game, though that’s not always the case. If you use multiple players, though, it makes the changeover trickier to coordinate.
