The Steelers have the highest-paid defense in the NFL, meaning there's plenty of talent on that side of the ball. The bigger question is whether they've maximized that talent, including inside linebacker Patrick Queen.
Queen signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason, trading black and purple for black and gold. The move generated plenty of excitement among the fan base, but his performance over his first two seasons in Pittsburgh has left some fans ready to move on.
Yet, despite all the changes the Steelers have made this offseason -- including a near-complete overhaul of the coaching staff -- the inside linebacker room has remained largely untouched. In fact, one of only two coaches retained from Mike Tomlin's staff was inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley. Clearly, new head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham see something in this group, led by Queen, that makes them believe it can be productive -- and perhaps even impactful.
Queen has been productive, recording 249 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed in his first two seasons with the Steelers. Even so, there's still more to unlock. The biggest complaint from fans has been his 20.3% missed tackle rate in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, the worst mark of his career.
There's also a legitimate argument that Queen and the rest of the linebacker corps haven't been put in the best positions to succeed. Throughout the 2025 season, several players told me the schematics under Tomlin and Teryl Austin left little margin for error. Inside linebackers were constantly under stress and rarely allowed to play freely.
In Queen's first public comments during OTAs in May, he discussed what has stood out while learning Graham's defense. One aspect immediately jumped out.
"There's a lot of attacking," Queen said. "Just us going out there and being football players."
One area in which Tomlin and Austin failed to maximize Queen was as a pass rusher. During his final two seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens frequently weaponized him in that role. In 2022, he blitzed on 16.3% of passing snaps. In 2023, that number was 14%. He combined for 8.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits across those two seasons.
After signing with the Steelers, however, his blitz rate dropped to 10.8% in 2024 and 10.1% in 2025. To no surprise, his production followed, as he recorded just two sacks and 10 quarterback hits over those two years.
Whether he was wearing a Ravens or Steelers uniform, though, Queen consistently won as a pass rusher. According to PFF, he has finished in the top eight among qualifying linebackers in pass-rush win rate in each of the past four seasons. Winning a pass-rush rep doesn't always result in a sack or pressure, but it can create opportunities for teammates by forcing offenses to account for another disruptive player.
Beyond Queen's individual usage, the Steelers' overall pass-rush schematics failed to create many advantageous situations. In 2024, the Steelers generated unblocked pressures on blitzes just 11.54% of the time, according to PFF, the fifth-worst rate in the NFL. Graham's Raiders, meanwhile, generated unblocked pressures at an 18.18% rate, ranking 13th in the league despite having significantly less talent at their disposal.
In studying the film, Graham knows how to dial up blitzes and how to get players such as cornerbacks and linebackers in better positions to get to the quarterback more frequently.
Queen has one year remaining on his contract. Based on his comments and what I've heard internally, a contract extension doesn't appear to be near the top of the Steelers' priority list this summer. That being said, the organization still values Queen. Despite offseason speculation about a trade or potential release, the Steelers were never interested in moving on from him.
Perhaps Graham will find more creative ways to weaponize Queen and help him return to similar form that made him second-team All-Pro in 2023.
THE ASYLUM
Graham could fix big mistake with Queen
The Steelers have the highest-paid defense in the NFL, meaning there's plenty of talent on that side of the ball. The bigger question is whether they've maximized that talent, including inside linebacker Patrick Queen.
Queen signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason, trading black and purple for black and gold. The move generated plenty of excitement among the fan base, but his performance over his first two seasons in Pittsburgh has left some fans ready to move on.
Yet, despite all the changes the Steelers have made this offseason -- including a near-complete overhaul of the coaching staff -- the inside linebacker room has remained largely untouched. In fact, one of only two coaches retained from Mike Tomlin's staff was inside linebackers coach Scott McCurley. Clearly, new head coach Mike McCarthy and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham see something in this group, led by Queen, that makes them believe it can be productive -- and perhaps even impactful.
Queen has been productive, recording 249 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 11 passes defensed in his first two seasons with the Steelers. Even so, there's still more to unlock. The biggest complaint from fans has been his 20.3% missed tackle rate in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, the worst mark of his career.
There's also a legitimate argument that Queen and the rest of the linebacker corps haven't been put in the best positions to succeed. Throughout the 2025 season, several players told me the schematics under Tomlin and Teryl Austin left little margin for error. Inside linebackers were constantly under stress and rarely allowed to play freely.
In Queen's first public comments during OTAs in May, he discussed what has stood out while learning Graham's defense. One aspect immediately jumped out.
"There's a lot of attacking," Queen said. "Just us going out there and being football players."
One area in which Tomlin and Austin failed to maximize Queen was as a pass rusher. During his final two seasons in Baltimore, the Ravens frequently weaponized him in that role. In 2022, he blitzed on 16.3% of passing snaps. In 2023, that number was 14%. He combined for 8.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits across those two seasons.
After signing with the Steelers, however, his blitz rate dropped to 10.8% in 2024 and 10.1% in 2025. To no surprise, his production followed, as he recorded just two sacks and 10 quarterback hits over those two years.
Whether he was wearing a Ravens or Steelers uniform, though, Queen consistently won as a pass rusher. According to PFF, he has finished in the top eight among qualifying linebackers in pass-rush win rate in each of the past four seasons. Winning a pass-rush rep doesn't always result in a sack or pressure, but it can create opportunities for teammates by forcing offenses to account for another disruptive player.
Beyond Queen's individual usage, the Steelers' overall pass-rush schematics failed to create many advantageous situations. In 2024, the Steelers generated unblocked pressures on blitzes just 11.54% of the time, according to PFF, the fifth-worst rate in the NFL. Graham's Raiders, meanwhile, generated unblocked pressures at an 18.18% rate, ranking 13th in the league despite having significantly less talent at their disposal.
In studying the film, Graham knows how to dial up blitzes and how to get players such as cornerbacks and linebackers in better positions to get to the quarterback more frequently.
Queen has one year remaining on his contract. Based on his comments and what I've heard internally, a contract extension doesn't appear to be near the top of the Steelers' priority list this summer. That being said, the organization still values Queen. Despite offseason speculation about a trade or potential release, the Steelers were never interested in moving on from him.
Perhaps Graham will find more creative ways to weaponize Queen and help him return to similar form that made him second-team All-Pro in 2023.
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