Patrick Queen is (Still) the Best Player We’ve Acquired This Offseason
I don’t think it’ll take long for the Steelers’ newly acquired ILB Patrick Queen to emerge as one of the most important players on the defense. Not only that, I STILL believe he’s the best pickup we’ve had this offseason.
I’ve written on this topic before, but I decided to put some depth and explanation behind my convictions and really take a long hard look at some film.
Since Ryan Shazier’s spine injury in 2017, the Steelers have struggled to find a player with the speed and instincts that he brought to the inside linebacker position. However, make no mistake about it: Patrick Queen brings it, and the Steelers paid him accordingly. I did a lot of my film study rewatching games on NFL+, but I’ll leave links to some Youtube videos that bolster my points at the bottom of this post.
If you’re talking about Patrick Queen to someone that knows ball, the first thing they’re going to point out to you is his athleticism, and rightfully so. Just pull up a Ravens game from last year, any game, and find #6. It becomes plainly evident pretty quickly. His sideline-to-sideline speed, and his ability to close on the ball quickly is something that was sorely missing from our defense last year. I think the following video is a solid example of his ability to cover a lot of ground quickly:
Patrick Mahomes is sneaky good with his legs, but Queen played the angle well and had the speed to stay in his zone just long enough, then break to the ball when the time was right. No disrespect to Elandon Roberts, who is a big, heavy-hitter-sized linebacker, but he’s not covering ground like that, and Myles Jack just isn’t athletic enough.
My favorite thing about Patrick Queen’s tape has to do with his play against the run. Watch this rep from 2021 against the Dolphins (trust me, there’s newer film of him doing exactly this, I’m just using this example, because it’s easy to embed from twitter):
In that clip, the Dolphins pull the tight end (#81) to the right side to take away the edge. There’s also some misdirection during the handoff, as one of the Dolphins receivers comes across for a potential jet sweep. Watch how patient Patrick Queen is. He could’ve sprinted inside to cut off Myles Gaskin (Dolphins #37), or he could’ve bit on the misdirection. Instead, he stays square and keeps his eyes on the ball, and waits for the right tackle (#77) to identify his assignment, before stuffing the run. Imagine Le’Veon Bell’s running style, but from a linebacker’s perspective. Mind you, this was 2021, and this is still a great example of how the game is slowing down for him. His film is littered with examples of him, essentially, playing multiple gaps in the run game, letting the runner pick the gap, and then using a quick burst to the ball, often at or behind the line of scrimmage. It’s really remarkable. And that’s essentially what he was doing in that last clip. And, even if he isn’t able to get to the ball, his gap presence helps to free up the guys around him, making them seem better as well. Our run defense is going to be MILES better with him at that Mike LB position.
Speaking of the ‘Mike linebacker’ role, there’s a ton of responsibility associated with that role. In the Steelers’ defense, the ‘Mike’ is essentially the quarterback of the defense, calling the plays from the sideline and making sure guys are in the right spots. So, obviously, the ability to recognize plays is crucial. How about this fuckin’ rep against the Browns, back in 2022:
At the very start of the clip, you see him using a hand signal, likely communicating something to the guys on his side of the field. What was that something? I don’t know. But, I’m betting he knew exactly what the Browns were about to do in a difficult second and long situation. The ball is snapped, and Queen is ALL OVER IT. That’s a prime example of play recognition, communication, quickness, and execution. That’s the kind of thing you want to see from your Mike linebacker.
While he is ELITE against the run, he can GET GOT when playing zone coverage against the pass. He definitely knows where he’s supposed to be in zone coverages, and clearly has a solid understanding of route concepts, and identifying what receivers are (likely) trying to do on the fly. Where he struggles is when you’re asking him to do that with several receivers at a time on his side of the field. And understandably so, as that would be hard for just about anyone, but there are quite a few occasions when he gave up a big play in that situation. It’s worth noting that I mostly noticed that happening when the Ravens were lining up with 4-2 fronts, which the Steelers rarely do. Still, something to consider. But, even with that being said, he’s only 24 years old. Additionally, his ability to cover a ton of ground quickly, still comes into play on check downs even when he’s lined up in a zone. Again, not to hate on our linebackers from last season, but we really struggled to rally to the ball in those check-down situations, and the speed he brings is going to make us much better.
Man coverage is different. Like I mentioned before, he has a solid understanding of route concepts, and he has the speed to keep up with pretty much any tight end and most receivers. Not only that, but he maintains leverage extremely well, even on deep routes. So, it’s not like he’s going to be out there getting burned all day. He’s capable of playing the pass well, especially when he has a specific assignment.
One last clip from twitter/x that I want to reference has to do with his abilities as a pass rusher:
Look at that rep, man. He does a hell of a job staying in his spot, knows the snap count, and right before the ball is snapped, BOOM, he works his way down hill and hits the Bengals’ TE, Drew Sample, with a nasty spin move. He didn't get the sack, but the Bengals clearly didn’t think he was coming on that play, and his pass rush freed up Jadeveon Clowney to get the hit on the Bengals’ QB. He has 13.5 career sacks under his belt in four seasons. That number might not wow you, but the Steelers should be able to put together some spicy blitz packages with him in the middle of the defense. I know most of yinz are still sleeping on Ryan Watts, but if he makes the team, imagine trying to identify the blitz with him and Patrick Queen on the field at the same time, knowing you still have to deal with TJ Watt, Alex Highsmith, Keeanu Benton, etc. Good fuckin’ luck. Our pass rush is going to be a handful.
I understand that the shiny new toys in town, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, are hot topics, but I’m telling yinz: we’re going to really FEEL the presence of Patrick Queen this season. I hate that the aura of us signing him has fallen to the wayside, because I think he’s going to be in the conversation for team MVP this year. He has THAT kind of ceiling, in my opinion. Do you agree? Disagree? Am I overreacting? Hit me up on socials, let’s talk about it!
Before you do so, check out these videos on Youtube. These guys do a great job of breaking down some of his film, and they seem to echo my sentiments:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCtBHJJnpKI&list=WL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuf6CjaZsoc&list=LL&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2KK1hQWYww&list=LL&index=3&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsdQCKg6T-4&list=WL&index=1
I miss football, man.
Here. We. Go.
Follow me on twitter: @jay_newm
Subscribe to receive email updates about new posts and follow me on socials!
