“Hopefully it’s not just the ceiling”: Patrick Queen “feels more comfortable playing Steelers football,” Heyward says

The Pittsburgh Steelers invested in Patrick Queen to transform their defense. In the first month of the season, this process did not happen so quickly. There are legitimate reasons for this, but as time goes on he plays better and better football.

“I think he’s getting more comfortable with the way we play,” Cameron Heyward said of Queen on the Steelers’ website. “There are different styles of football. We haven’t played much together in pre-season but I think he’s feeling more comfortable and confident. Hopefully it’s not just the ceiling. I think he can continue to grow and the best is yet to come.”

To improve the inside linebacker position, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract. At that price, they obviously planned for him to be their all-down linebacker. But that also meant something like a new role for him.

He would not only change teams and systems, but also roles. With the Steelers, Queen is responsible for relaying defensive signals, a job he didn’t take on with the Ravens. At least he didn’t for long. Roquan Smith took over when he came over.

The Baltimore Ravens drafted Patrick Queen in the first round of 2021. He developed into an All-Pro player over his four years there, but they were already paying top dollar for Smith. Entering free agency, he faced questions about whether he could be the lead dog after thriving alongside a star.

Through the first six games of the Queen’s Steelers’ career, we can’t quite answer that question in the affirmative. However, the reality is that we cannot yet answer this question at all as we are still gathering information.

Prior to joining the Steelers, Queen collected 454 tackles, 37 for a loss, with 13.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions in four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. Pittsburgh brought him on board as such a playmaker.

He’s made very few of these types of plays, although he does have a few TFLs, and he’s had a few shots with the odd interception. But his game is clearly heading in the right direction, most recently he made 13 tackles.

Queen will never be the most elegant midfielder. He’ll miss some tackles and have a gap in coverage here and there. But his range on the sideline and his explosiveness will make the difference.

Don’t get me wrong, it already is, even if it’s not always so obvious. But it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he’s truly in his element with the Steelers. Queen is learning to deal with the responsibility of being the green dot in the game, and as he does so, he plays better and better. The splash plays follow.