The 33rd Team’s Sam Monson seems anything but bullish on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ roster right now. Earlier this week, Broderick Jones caught some scathing criticism, with Monson saying he might not deserve to still be in the NFL. Thursday, it was Patrick Queen’s turn.
“I think linebacker, generally, is the area that I would focus on the most,” Monson said on his Check the Mic podcast. “Patrick Queen has been talked about as a guy that’s gonna get shipped on. Like, Dallas is supposedly interested in him, other teams are potentially interested in him. Teams will always be interested in him, because he’s athletic and can do impressive things. But, very little evidence he’s a good football player at the moment. So, I would be looking to move on from him ASAP if I’m the Steelers.”
Queen has found his name in the rumor mill in recent weeks. After signing with the Steelers as a prized free agent in March 2024, he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.
Which is frustrating, because Queen has been very good at times. There were moments later in the 2025 season, like his stellar performance against Miami, when Queen started to put everything together. His athleticism helped him in coverage, he was more gap sound, and he seemed more comfortable flying downhill making tackles.
Unfortunately, those moments have been too few and far between. For all the good games Patrick Queen has put together, he’s seemed to match them with poor ones. He was inconsistent as a tackler throughout the 2025 season, leading the team in miss tackles by a wide margin per our charting. Against the pass, things weren’t much better. Queen allowed a completion rate of 69.0 percent and a passer rating of 100.4 when targeted. Each were improvements compared to 2024, but still not good enough.
Thus, trading Queen has become more popular of an idea. But is it in the Steelers’ best interest? Had Payton Wilson proven himself more during his first two years, it might be an easier decision. Right now, the Steelers would have to turn to Wilson, Malik Harrison, Cole Holcomb, and Carson Bruener. The group has a lot of potential but is far from the most proven one.
This draft does have some talent at linebacker, though. The Steelers could pick one with one of their first five picks in the top 99, which would soften the blow of losing Queen if they traded him.
If the price is right, it’s something to consider. But it also would be a risk. If the Steelers plan to draft a rookie, pairing him with Wilson and Holcomb means the linebacker corps would have a whole lot of growing up to do. The reasons for moving Patrick Queen are there, but the Steelers shouldn’t jettison him for nothing.
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