Patrick Queen #6 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a rumored trade target of the Dallas Cowboys.
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Patrick Queen #6 of the Pittsburgh Steelers is a rumored trade target of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys entered the de facto first day of NFL free agency determined to upgrade their defense, and to an extent, they did that. The trade with the Packers for Rashan Gary in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick will help the defensive front. The addition of safety Jalen Thompson as a free agent from the Cardinals will help the back line.
But the Cowboys’ biggest problem heading into 2026–as it was in 2025 and, heck, in 2024, too, for that matter–is at middle linebacker. While we heard plenty about whom the Cowboys were monitoring and talking to and showing interest in, Dallas did absolutely nothing to actually bring in a player who would change the trajectory of this defense in the middle.
And now, the free-agent market is pretty barren for Dallas at linebacker. Quay Walker, Devin Lloyd, Devin Bush, Naokbe Dean–all wish-list targets for the Cowboys–are gone.
Cowboys to Trade for Patrick Queen?
But the Cowboys could potentially trade for a linebacker, and that might wind up being the play here. It would cost draft assets, of course, but in the wake of the team getting two fifth-round compensatory picks, that might be the way to go.
Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen is the much-rumored name that has been cropping up in connection with the Cowboys.
From Nick Harris, the Cowboys beat writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on Twitter/X: “Cowboys have been largely wiped out at LB. Been a tough day there in Dallas, no other way to put it.
“I’m keeping an eye onPatrick Queen at the moment. A handful of teams have called Pittsburgh about a trade here (including the Eagles). Dallas has kept a hand in that mix for this exact scenario, but there are still some things to work through and conversations behind the scenes to be had there.”
Devin Lloyd, Carolina Panthers
GettyDevin Lloyd is one of the many linebackers who will not be joining the Dallas Cowboys.
Cowboys Could Give Up a Fifth-Rounder
Queen has the resume that the Cowboys might like. He is a two-time Pro Bowler who was a first-round pick out of LSU in 2020, and has started every game since he entered the league that year, first for Baltimore and last year with the Steelers.
He is in the final year of a three-year, $41 million contract that is slated for an $18 million cap hit this year. That could be an obstacle to making a trade happen–the Cowboys would have to carve out some more salary room to make it all kosher with the league bookkeepers.
Harris speculated that the Steelers would be looking for mid-round compensation for Queen, and the Cowboys could step up with one of their fifth-rounders. Considering how poorly they fared on the linebacker market in free agency, there might not be a whole lot of other options on hand.
Does Patrick Queen = Kenneth Murray?
Of course, the biggest question is whether Queen is really the guy the Cowboys want in the middle of their defense. Despite his Pro Bowl status, he does not rate well by advanced metrics, and Pro Football Focus rated him among the worst linebackers in the NFL.
His overall grade last year was 44.0, which was 78th out of 88 graded linebackers. He was brutal in coverage, ranking 83rd out of the 88 linebackers. If that sounds uncomfortably like Kenneth Murray, the guy the Cowboys are trying to move on from after a disastrous 2025, then you’re right–they’re similar, at least as PFF grades see it.
But again, the pickings are slim. The Cowboys need a linebacker and the options are running out.