The Pittsburgh Steelers have no shortage of problems entering Week 5. They struggled to tackle the Cleveland Browns' ball carriers on Thursday Night Football, while injuries are starting to plague them after the first month of the season. But Patrick Queen might be one of the biggest problems nobody is talking about.
Queen has had his moments this season. His best performance came in Week 2 against the New England Patriots, when he didn't miss a tackle, nor did he allow a reception in pass coverage.
Unfortunately, this proved to be nothing more than a one-off showing.
In Week 4 against the Browns, Queen didn't just look bad; he looked like the worst linebacker in professional football.
Despite playing 65 defensive snaps, the veteran linebacker was involved in just five total plays (you read that right). Additionally, Queen was credited with two missed tackles (28.6 percent missed -tackle rate) while allowing four receptions on four targets for 31 yards.
Queen's disastrous showing earned him a dismal 37.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, and it was the second time in just four games that Queen recorded an overall PFF grade lower than 47.0. Sadly, the film matches the grade, and the second watch of Queen on the coaches' tape was even harder to stomach than the first time through.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a massive Patrick Queen problem they refuse to address
This is hardly the first time Queen has been perhaps the biggest liability on defense. In fact, we've come to expect a performance like this from him in practically every other game over the past two years.
Despite logging 1,180 snaps during the 2025 season, Queen earned an egregious 43.5 overall grade (including a 30.2 tackling grade and a 32.4 coverage grade). These were all among the worst in the league at the position.
Steelers fans will remember big plays, like Queen coming down with an interception on an underthrown ball from Drake Maye in Week 2 against the Patriots. But there are so many bad plays mixed in that he's no longer worth the squeeze.
And Queen's mistakes on the field are even more noticeable than they once were.
In Week 4, Queen took horrible angles to the football, overpursued, turned like a tugboat, and failed to break down and make plays. He did all of this while struggling in coverage. At some point, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham needs to put his foot down and say enough is enough.
Patrick Queen's role on the Steelers' defense must be reduced
While it's not like the Steelers have an abundance of options at the linebacker position, there are moves they could make to get this unit trending in the right direction.
For starters, the Steelers need to make Payton Wilson the 'green dot' linebacker. It's time to hand over communication duties to Wilson, who has been the better and more consistent linebacker this season (low bar, but still). In doing so, Queen will be freer to play without having too much on his plate.
But even more importantly, the Steelers must reduce Queen's snap count. We know full well at this stage of his career that this is not a player they should have on the field in obvious passing situations. Queen has logged 237 snaps in just four games. Assuming he stays healthy, he's on pace to log over 1,000 snaps for his fifth straight season.
As an alternative, Pittsburgh could give Cole Holcomb or Carson Bruener some added looks in second-and-long and third-and-medium situations.
And if they really want to go with a coverage package, they can start running with more dime defense. This could allow Graham to get Queen off the field on passing downs and replace him with a defensive back who can aid the team in pass coverage.
Obviously, these things are easier said than done—especially considering they traded cornerback Joey Porter Jr., and Jamel Dean is dealing with an ankle injury.
But things have gotten so bad with Queen that the Steelers can't keep giving him the same role and expecting different results—that's the definition of insanity.
Forget about his occasional splash play; forget about his unwarranted two-time Pro Bowl status. Right here, right now, Patrick Queen is a massive liability, and the Pittsburgh Steelers need to find ways to reduce his role immediately.
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