NFL training camps are approaching, but that doesn't mean it's too late for teams to make some late offseason moves.
Teams are still able to add players at this point in time, and they're also able to subtract players.
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a key defender has been named as a potential cut candidate before the start of the 2026 NFL season.
Patrick Queen named cut candidate for Steelers
Alex Kay recently listed five cut candidates across the league's landscape, and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen made the list.
Kay pointed to Queen's inconsistent output during his two seasons in Pittsburgh combined with the money that the Steelers could save by moving on from him as rationale.
"Queen has been an inconsistent defender during his tenure with the Steelers, making plenty of great plays while also missing assignments and whiffing on tackles. He's tallied 249 tackles over the last two seasons, but only contributed two sacks and a trio of forced fumbles outside of that," Kay wrote.
"Pittsburgh's defense has had some brutal stretches with Queen as its defensive play-caller, including losing five consecutive games to close out 2024 and getting embarrassed by a middling Houston Texans squad in this year's playoffs. ... Releasing Queen would save Pittsburgh nearly $11 million against the cap, money that it could allocate toward finding a cheaper replacement and still have cash available to spend elsewhere."
Queen has just one year remaining on his current contract with Pittsburgh and he'll be an unrestricted free agent next offseason. So if the Steelers don't see him as a long-term piece, perhaps they'll be proactive and try to move off his contract this offseason in order to open up some cap space.
If he is cut by the Steelers, Queen should have no shortage of suitors as a 26 year old with two Pro Bowl nods to his name.
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