The Pittsburgh Steelers made a significant move during the legal tampering period of free agency, coming to a deal with linebacker Patrick Queen. The former first-round draft pick was likewise one of the top-ranked linebackers in free agency, after a successful four-year career with the Baltimore Ravens.
Steelers agree to 3-year, $41M deal with LB Patrick Queen. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/GGQap5qGOq
— NFL (@NFL) March 12, 2024
Last season, Queen started in every game, totaling 133 tackles, 84 solo tackles, nine tackles for a loss, six quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and six pass deflections. He was named second-team All-Pro and was selected to his first Pro Bowl.
For Queen, he'll be staying within the division he knows well, that being the AFC North, jumping from the Ravens to the rival Steelers. He'll be looked to bolster a linebacking corps that will most likely rely on him to be their leader. He'll be joining Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Mark Robinson, with free agent Kwon Alexander most likely moving on.
But he'll also be joining defensive playmakers TJ Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Cameron Heyward, making the Steelers, on paper, potentially a lethal defense up front.
So how did this deal grade out? Let's grade it.
Grading Patrick Queen's deal with the Steelers
It's no surprise that the Steelers made a main focus on defense during this free agency. That's what the Steelers under Mike Tomlin have always been about during his tenure. And that starts to become a bit of a problem in a division that has the reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and even Deshaun Watson at quarterback, who all mostly have elite weapons around them.
Sure, they went out and got Russell Wilson on a cheap deal, but they then traded away his best receiver, Diontae Johnson, to the Panthers for an okay cornerback in Donte Jackson. That all goes to say that no one spends or concentrates more on defensive players than the Steelers. That was exemplified with Queen's signing.
Granted, this was a position of great need, one that the Steelers have been trying to fill for years now, plugging a hole in the middle of their defense. Queen will be asked to be the quarterback on that side of the ball in 2024. But is Queen ready for this type of role? Remember, Queen had his struggles early on in his career and didn't even start becoming the playmaker he is until the Ravens got Roquan Smith two seasons ago from Chicago. Queen's production took a major tilt upward once the former Bear joined the Ravens in 2022.
But then you start to look at some of the NFL Next Gen Stats for Queen, like his league-leading pressures among all linebackers with 20 despite blitzing at just the 23rd-highest rate. Or that he generated a 25.5 percent pressure rate last season, which was the sixth-best among all linebackers with a minimum of 50 pass rushes. If you're the Steelers, or any other team in the league for that matter, you can't simply look away from that.
Queen also graded a career-high defensively this season with a grade of 73.1, a slight increase from last season but miles above his first two seasons in the league, according to PFF. With that said, just two good years of playing time doesn't give a lot of assurance for the Steelers, especially for the three-year, $41 million they're paying him.
The Ravens have been known to get the absolute best out of their players. On defense, just look at what former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald did with Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy's careers last season. We're about to find out what Queen is without Macdonald and a Ravens jersey on his back. Patrick Queen's uncertainty in this matter gives the Steelers an average grade because, while it did fill a necessary need, the amount he will be paid may or may not equate to his production.
Grade: C+
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