Patrick Queen has faced his fair share of criticism during his two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and this offseason, the conversation around him has been more focused on his departure than his play in 2026. However, with a new coaching staff in place, Queen will be given a blank slate and it sounds like he has nothing but glowing reviews of new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fired up man. He\u2019s a good dude. You can tell he loves football,\u201d Queen said Tuesday on NFL Network\u2019s Good Morning Football<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s very organized, detailed. It\u2019s just, it\u2019s just the way he approaches it and we\u2019ll know more going into next few weeks how he wants everything done and what to expect and all that. But from what I can tell from the first time is he\u2019s really energetic and really thinks Pittsburgh football can get back.\u201d<\/p>\n .@Patrickqueen_<\/a> is ready to work with his new @steelers<\/a> HC Mike McCarthy\ud83e\udd1d pic.twitter.com\/ehCj3UmFIR<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Good Morning Football (@gmfb) April 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Queen and the rest of his Steelers teammates had the first chance to meet the new coaching staff in a formal setting last week when players reported for voluntary workouts. Voluntary minicamp will begin on April 20 and will provide players their first in-depth work on the field under McCarthy.<\/p>\n On a defense full of veterans, including a handful of free agent signings, Queen\u2019s performance in 2026 is one of the storylines to watch. After being named a second-team All Pro in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, the expectations were sky high when Queen joined the Steelers as a free agent in 2024. Through two seasons missed tackles and communication issues have plagued Queen who has yet to live up to expectations in Pittsburgh. At times, he has been critical of the defensive scheme<\/a>. With Patrick Graham now installed as defensive coordinator, there\u2019s a chance that the Xs and Os are cleaned up and Queen can have a career year in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI think everybody\u2019s bought into the new process,\u201d Queen said. \u201cAnd we just looking forward to go out there and playing.\u201d<\/p>\n