When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed linebacker Patrick Queen in free agency during the offseason, the hope was that he’d provide a big upgrade at inside linebacker. But through five games, that has not been the case.
Queen’s biggest issue has been tackling, as the 25-year-old has whiffed on eight over the first five games, according to Pro Football Focus. Adding to that, Queen has notched just 21 solo tackles and has been lackluster in coverage, with a grade of 57.2 in that area.
Queen has seen no shortage of criticism, and even former Steelers have weighed in, with Ryan Clark asking, “Where’s Patrick Queen stepping up and making plays?”
Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch admitted that he’s “baffled” with how Queen has played thus far.
“For me, I’m kind of baffled because as great as he played last year, you want to feed off of that energy that he’s bringing to the table,” Batch said on 102.5 DVE. And right now, it’s just not happening on a consistent level.”
Queen took to Twitter on Tuesday and appeared to respond to the criticism he’s received from fans, media and former Steelers.
Queen probably means “marathon, not a sprint,” but you get the idea. And there is still plenty of time for him to right the ship, but he’s got to do so quickly for the sake of the team.
While Pittsburgh’s defense has played well overall this season, things could be better and Queen can play a big role in that if he can improve his play moving forward.
But for now, he stands as arguably the biggest disappointment for the Steelers through five games of the 2024 campaign.
