A second lap around the track might be what linebacker Patrick Queen needed to jump-start his Pittsburgh Steelers career. After a 2024 season that often went quiet and ended in a mess of communication chaos, DC Teryl Austin sees Queen in a better place heading into 2025.
“I think he’s a lot more comfortable,” Austin told reporters Thursday in audio provided by the team. “I know it seems easy, hey you’re just hearing the guy talk to you. But sometimes you don’t wanna hear my voice And I’m talking to them and sometimes you’re giving guys, ‘Hey, here’s the call. But hey, alert for this, make sure you relay this, do this.’
“There’s a lot of things that are really going on on that mic. At first, it could be unsettling. You’re talking about a guy in a new city, learning new stuff, all kind of learning as teammates. Now, there’s a comfort level there.”
Queen wore and will continue to wear the “green dot,” the defensive helmet with a headset where the coach’s play call is sent with Queen relaying the message to the rest of his teammates. As Austin notes, the call can come with additional notes, especially when facing the NFL’s top quarterbacks and most complex offenses.
The concern with Queen is his ability to walk and chew gum at the same time. To play well individually while serving as quarterback of the defense. In Baltimore, he struggled and only bounced back once LB Roquan Smith was traded for and assumed those duties. In Pittsburgh, he didn’t quiet those concerns. Now, he enters a second year in Pittsburgh where there should be no excuses. Even as the schematics receive a facelift, Queen has the same coordinator and head coach and the same framework of a defensive scheme. He must be able to do both. Austin thinks he’ll shine.
“I think he could take that information in a lot more smoothly than he did last year and get it out a lot more smoothly,” Austin said of Queen. “So I think he’s been really, really good in terms of that this year. How we communicate is a lot easier and better this year. ”
Queen’s first challenge comes Sunday against the New York Jets. But the real test might take place in the home opener. Though Steeler Nation will make life tough on the Seattle Seahawks’ offense, the decibels don’t get any lower for the Steelers’ defense. There are big expectations for Queen and Pittsburgh’s unit to be among the NFL’s best and to his credit, Queen hasn’t shied away from them. But if he can’t shine this season, it’s fair to wonder if he’s the right man for the job.
