The Pittsburgh Steelers have a ton of cap space to work with, and General Manager Omar Khan has expressed desire to not release players for the sole purpose of being a "cap casualty." That could all change if they manage to sign a quarterback like Malik Willis for a massive payday. If that happens and he eats a large chunk of Pittsburgh's available money, a handful of players could be released so they can continue exploring the free agent market while also having money for draft picks and emergencies in the middle of the season.
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Green Bay Packers quarterback Malik Willis looks to find a receiver downfield as he scrambles with the football during a professional football game at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL.
During his weekly Q&A chat, Gerry Dulac was asked about one of these potential cap casualties: Patrick Queen. There have been rumors about him being released to save money and get an upgrade at linebacker, as he hasn't been the best at communicating plays, and his play has been very inconsistent. Dulac quickly shot those rumors down.
"The chatter is not coming from the Steelers," Dulac said.
Sometimes, the Steelers will leak certain things about players that they don't want anymore, but Dulac has not heard those rumors about Queen from inside the organization. It sounds like there are some other sources that are spreading these rumors that may or may not have any inside information. It seems like Pittsburgh is more than happy to have Queen back in the building for offseason camp.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen (6) celebrates with Cam Heyward (97) and Payton Wilson (41) during the 2024 season after a big play on the road.
In the 2025 season, Queen had 120 tackles, eight tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble return. He also set a career-best in completion percentage against, with 69%. He was not exactly the big-play threat that the Steelers had hoped for, but when he's on his game, he can really shut down the run game. That's why Pittsburgh would be happy to have him back for another year.
The main problem with Queen was his inconsistencies. He had games where he looked like an All-Pro like he was in 2023, but he had other where it didn't seem like he belonged in this defense. He had 17 missed tackles, which averages out to one per game. That's not exactly what you want to see out of an every-down linebacker. He needs to clean stuff up in 2026 to keep being the defensive quarterback.
Steelers' Coaching Change Could Help Queen Out
Like some players, Queen seemed to have a problem with former head coach Mike Tomlin's complicated scheme, which led to numerous miscommunications and a lack of sound gap control. That is likely a major reason for his inconsistent play, as he couldn't be aggressive and play his style when he was trying to figure out what was being called while helping his teammates understand in real time.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin coaching up linebacker Patrick Queen during the 2025 NFL season.
New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has been praised for his adaptability and willingness to build his schemes around the strengths of his players. The Steelers have made it very clear that they prefer a simple defense that allows them to think less and attack more, so if the analysis on Graham is correct, that will be the overall gameplan for whole defense throughout the 2026 season and beyond.
If that ends up being the case, there should be no excuses for Queen in 2026. This will be his best chance to prove all the doubters wrong, as they say that he is only a great linebacker when Roquan Smith is standing next to him. Calling out a simple, yet effective scheme should allow him to unlock his true abilities again and become the consistent force at middle linebacker that Pittsburgh desperately needs.
What do you think about Queen rumors likely not being real and coming from the outside? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB. I will respond and follow back.
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