The Pittsburgh Steelers are in good shape from a cap space perspective ahead of the start of the new league year in March. They have just under $40 million projected cap space to work with, based on a salary cap snapshot from Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan, so they have plenty of room to operate.
And yet much of the discussion regarding the Steelers right now centers on some of the subtractions they can make from their roster to free up even more space. Like inside linebacker Patrick Queen ahead of the final year of his three-year deal.
Queen will count $17,193,334 against the cap in 2025 as part of the final year of his deal, according to Over The Cap.
That’s a lot of money for a linebacker many believes has underperformed. One of those who believes that is former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and current ESPN analyst Bart Scott. Appearing on ESPN’s Get Up Friday morning, Scott stated the Steelers have the chance to rebuild on the fly, and should move on from Queen.
“Patrick Queen, you can get outta that contract, finally, this year,” Scott said, according to video via ESPN. “I think he was…he didn’t play very well at all.”
When the Steelers signed Queen away from the AFC North-rival Ravens as a free agent ahead of the 2024 season, the move was believed to be one that would fix the Steelers’ inside linebacker issue once and for all — at least for the foreseeable future.
Though he’s played nearly 100% of the snaps since joining the Black and Gold, Queen has left much to be desired.
He’s missed 50 tackles in the last two seasons, based on chasing here at Steelers Depot. He’s also struggled in coverage, allowing 136 receptions on 169 targets for 1,532 yards and three touchdowns in two years with the Steelers, according to Pro Football Focus. Teams have consistently attacked him.
Queen has been the hub of communication for the Steelers’ defense the last two years, which might have played a part in his struggles, considering he struggled wearing the green dot in Baltimore until the Ravens traded for Roquan Smith, taking that burden off Queen.
The veteran linebacker also wasn’t shy about raising concerns regarding the defensive scheme, questioning the design following the Steelers’ Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. With new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham now overseeing the defense, things should change from a scheme and communication perspective.
But it remains to be seen if Queen will be part of that moving forward.
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