{"id":296035,"date":"2026-07-14T22:42:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/296035\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T22:42:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:42:45","slug":"will-patrick-queen-lead-steelers-into-new-defensive-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/296035\/","title":{"rendered":"Will Patrick Queen Lead Steelers Into New Defensive Era?"},"content":{"rendered":"

All 90<\/a>\u2022Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"PittsburghPittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen at practice on Oct. 22, 2025. — Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

PITTSBURGH \u2014 The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> didn\u2019t bring Patrick Queen <\/a>to Pittsburgh simply to rack up tackles. They signed him to become the heartbeat of the defense, and entering his third season with the organization, that responsibility has never been greater.<\/p>\n

With Patrick Graham<\/a> taking over as the Steelers\u2019 new defensive coordinator, Queen is expected to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the defensive transition. Graham has built a reputation throughout his coaching career for designing flexible, player-driven schemes that maximize the strengths of his personnel rather than forcing players into rigid roles.<\/p>\n

For a linebacker with Queen\u2019s versatility, that could open the door to an even bigger impact.<\/p>\n

The Steelers have long relied on athletic linebackers capable of doing everything from stopping the run to covering tight ends and blitzing the quarterback. Queen checks every one of those boxes and has become one of the leaders of Pittsburgh\u2019s defense since arriving from the Baltimore Ravens<\/a> in free agency.<\/p>\n

Queen stacked up 126 total tackles last season, second on the team only to Payton Wilson<\/a>. Queen was linked to the Dallas Cowboys in trade rumors earlier this offseason, but Jerry Jones\u2019 team wound up acquiring Dee Winters from the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of it was true, some it was just extended truth,\u201d Queen said at OTAs. \u201cJust people rambling and stuff. That\u2019s what you\u2019re gonna have with social media nowadays, everybody wants the first say-so of whatever happens and they wanna hope to be right. But (there) was very slim facts out there, and that\u2019s all I\u2019ll leave it at.\u201d<\/p>\n

While a new defensive system always comes with an adjustment period, Queen\u2019s experience, communication skills and ability to play all three downs should make him one of the foundational pieces of Graham\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

Graham has emphasized communication and adaptability throughout the offseason, two qualities that fit naturally with Queen\u2019s skill set. His defenses have traditionally featured multiple fronts and versatile linebackers who can wear several hats depending on the opponent.<\/p>\n

That versatility is exactly why the Steelers invested heavily in Queen two years ago.<\/p>\n

After another productive season in 2025, Queen enters 2026 looking to take another step as one of the NFL\u2019s premier inside linebackers. Whether he\u2019s chasing down running backs from sideline to sideline, dropping into coverage or creating pressure as a blitzer, the Steelers will lean on him to help set the tone for Graham\u2019s new-look defense.<\/p>\n

If Pittsburgh\u2019s defense quickly adapts to its new coordinator, Queen will almost certainly be one of the biggest reasons why.<\/p>\n

\"SteelersPittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen during an OTAs practice on May 27, 2025. \u2014 Ed Thompson \/ Steelers Now<\/p>\n

6 \u2022 Patrick Queen, Inside Linebacker, LSU<\/p>\n

6-foot, 232 pounds, 26 years old, 7th NFL season<\/p>\n

Acquired: The Steelers signed Queen as an unrestricted free agent during the 2024 offseason after four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. His arrival gave Pittsburgh one of the league\u2019s most accomplished off-ball linebackers while taking away a key piece from a division rival.<\/p>\n

Last year: Queen started every game for Pittsburgh in 2025, once again serving as the leader of the inside linebacker room. His ability to defend the run, play in coverage and wear the green dot made him one of the defense\u2019s most valuable players.<\/p>\n

Pro career: Entering his third season with the Steelers and seventh in the NFL, Queen has established himself as one of football\u2019s premier three-down linebackers. A two-time Pro Bowler and former second-team All-Pro, he is expected to serve as one of the leaders of Patrick Graham\u2019s defense in 2026.<\/p>\n

PATRICK QUEEN NFL CAREER STATS<\/p>\n

YearTeamGPTacklesTFL\u2019sSacksINT\u2019sFF\u2019sFR\u2019sPD\u2019s2020BAL161069312222021BAL179810201112022BAL171179521262023BAL1713393.511162024PIT171296102172025PIT17120810114<\/p>\n

PATRICK QUEEN COLLEGE CAREER<\/p>\n

College: Queen broke out during LSU\u2019s <\/a>undefeated 2019 national championship season, totaling 85 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks and an interception. He capped off his collegiate career by earning Defensive MVP honors in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Clemson before being selected in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

PATRICK QUEEN COLLEGE STATS<\/p>\n

YearCollegeGPTacklesTFL\u2019sSacksINT\u2019sFR\u2019sPD\u2019s2017LSU1260.500002018LSU1340510002019LSU1585123112<\/p>\n

PATRICK QUEEN PRE-DRAFT TESTING<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

SALARY CAP AND CONTRACT
Queen is entering the third season of the three-year, $41 million contract he signed with the Steelers as a free agent in 2024. His deal runs through the 2026 season and includes $28.9 million in guaranteed money.<\/p>\n

ODDS AND ENDS
Queen was selected 28th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft after helping LSU capture the 2019 national championship. He earned Defensive MVP honors in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game against Clemson, recording eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. A Louisiana native, Queen didn\u2019t become a full-time starter until his final collegiate season before quickly developing into one of the NFL\u2019s top linebackers.<\/p>\n

MORE STEELERS ALL 90<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brendan Howe provided reporting from Pirrsburgh. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned In This Article: All 90<\/a> Patrick Queen<\/a> Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> Steelers<\/a> Steelers News<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"All 90\u2022Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen at practice on Oct. 22, 2025. — Ed Thompson \/…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":296036,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[112797,9,24,63,126,127,122,124,123,622,623],"class_list":["post-296035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-all-90","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-patrick-queen","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news","tag-steelers","tag-steelers-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}