Steelers Need 1 Specific Scenario To Make Enormous Move Releasing Veteran Defender

The Pittsburgh Steelers have some important personnel decisions to make during the 2026 offseason. Defensively, there has been talk of trimming the payroll and releasing some of the veterans on that side of the ball. The two names that have come up the most have been Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Queen, but releasing either player would not make much sense. Pittsburgh's secondary is thin, and parting ways with Ramsey would likely not help the team. Queen has been underwhelming since coming to Pittsburgh, but he is young enough where he could recapture his All-Pro play style.

Pittsburgh needs Ramsey, so his future with the organization should be pretty safe, especially for the 2026 season. Queen should be safe as well, however his cap hit is over $17 million in 2026. The organization can save roughly $13.3 million by releasing him, but General Manager Omar Khan seems comfortable with where the franchise currently stands in relation to the cap. Despite there being no real reason to release Queen, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo believes there is one scenario where the franchise would consider doing it. He joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday morning to discuss.

"Along the line of Patrick Queen, I think that one is probably going down the same path," Fittipaldo said. "He'll be back, we saw last year they didn't love Payton [Wilson] in run downs. They kind of made him a cover linebacker again. He was really good at it, but the only way Patrick would go is if they are now convinced that Payton Wilson is that three-down backer. Listen, that's up to the new staff. It's a new staff, they could move on from Patrick Queen. He's got a big number, but he's a good player."

Queen has certainly been underwhelming since touching down in Pittsburgh. The expectations for the linebacker were high after he was given the biggest free agent contract in the history of the organization, especially considering the fact that he was an All-Pro in his final season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. He has had some great games for the Steelers, but consistency has been an issue.

Payton Wilson will play a major role in what the organization decides to do with Queen, but it is hard to imagine the new coaching staff believing that Wilson is a three-down backer. That likely means Queen's future is safe in Pittsburgh. Wilson has been a great player since being drafted in 2024, but he struggles against the run. He has excelled in coverage and on obvious passing downs, which is why Pittsburgh deploys him in the way that it does.

Queen is the quarterback of the defense as he wears the green dot and relays the calls to the rest of the guys on the field. He has an important job and is on the field for every defensive play. Those are some big shoes to fill, and if the organization is not absolutely confident that Wilson can do it, Queen isn't going to be going anywhere.

Steelers Will Probably Be Done With Patrick Queen Following The 2026 Season

Queen signed a three-year contract during the 2024 offseason, which means he is entering the final season of his deal. There doesn't seem to be any noise surrounding a potential extension for the linebacker, which likely means the 2026 season will be his last with the organization. He is going to be in a contract year, which could elevate his performance in the way it did while he was in Baltimore back in 2023. If the linebacker can put together a good year, the Steelers will be in line to earn a decent compensatory pick once he signs elsewhere.

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