The Pittsburgh Steelers won't be in the market to sell starters at the NFL trade deadline—we know this organization far too well to think otherwise. But that doesn't mean they shouldn't dangle one particular starter on the trade block and see if there's a team that takes the bait.
Patrick Queen is coming off perhaps the best performance of his Steelers career. In Paris against the New Orleans Saints, Queen logged 10 tackles while recording a sack and nearly coming away with an interception. His pursuit of the football and effort in run support were firing on all cylinders.
And while most fans might say this is exactly why you keep Queen around for the remainder of the year, I might argue that there's never been a better time to sell high on a player who usually finds a way to disappoint us.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should consider trading LB Patrick Queen before the deadline
We know there were teams calling about Queen during the spring. ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler recently shed light on this once more in an article ranking the top-25 NFL trade candidates.
Rumors of a Queen trade persisted in the spring, with the Cowboys among teams that checked on his availability. He's also a 2027 free agent. But the Steelers' status as a 5-2 team likely keeps him in Pittsburgh," Fowler wrote.
Interestingly, Fowler ranks Queen 10th among all possible trade candidates in the league and gives the Steelers a 20 percent chance to trade their starting linebacker. Perhaps they should be open to listening to calls.
While Queen is coming off a career performance, we've now seen him for two and a half years in Pittsburgh—we know who he is at this stage of his career. The seventh-year linebacker lays an egg too often and has proven time and again to be a liability on defense, more often than not.
Take the Browns game in Week 4, for example. PFF credited Queen with just four tackles (and two missed tackles) while giving up catches on all four targets. His all-22 film in this contest was unwatchable.
Before his impressive outing in Paris in Week 7, Queen had three straight games with an overall grade under 48.0, per Pro Football Focus [$]. Even now, his 58.2 overall grade for the season ranks 50th among 75 qualifying NFL linebackers. Last year, Queen ranked 79th of 88. Before that, 65th of 84.
And it's easy to see why when you watch the film.
Here's where things could get interesting: if there's a team desperate to land linebacker help before the trade deadline, they might be willing to pay a premium for Queen. We just saw how much the Bears were willing to overpay to land defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
And the best part is that the Steelers would be selling high. Coming off a strong performance and with the defense playing well. Queen could easily fetch a fourth-round pick. Maybe something to the tune of a third-rounder for Queen, while Pittsburgh throws in a fifth- or sixth-round pick to sweeten the deal.
The Steelers wouldn't be at a complete loss with Queen gone. Veteran Elandon Roberts is now back on the team and waiting in the wings for an opportunity. Roberts has been one of the best downhill enforcers at the linebacker position in recent years, and the Steelers could take him off the field in favor of Cole Holcomb or a defensive back on passing downs (or just use Roberts as a blitzer).
My point is this: the Pittsburgh Steelers may be able to land a quality, mid-round pick for Patrick Queen (whose contract expires after the season) and not be any worse off for it, once he reverts to his old ways.
With the Steelers sitting at 5-2, a Queen trade feels highly unlikely, but this should be in the back of their minds.
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