Patrick Queen’s season has been a roller coaster, and so has the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense. Tonight against the Buffalo Bills, some of what he did, and didn’t do, has fans wondering if the Steelers misread the situation when they grabbed him from Baltimore last year. Echoing the fans’ sentiment, former Steeler and Super Bowl champ Trai Essex asked the same question out loud.

“He’s hurt, but I’m over the Patrick Queen experiment. Simply put, he’s not a Steelers LB. He’s not Farrior. He’s not Timmons. He’s not Shazier. He doesn’t play with that disposition. We missed on that signing. And for our main rival to let him leave, shoulda been a sign,” Essex wrote on X.

Queen didn’t help his own case tonight. On a second-and-3 scramble, Josh Allen slid late, as he usually does, and Queen arrived a beat after the quarterback was already on the ground. It could’ve easily turned into a 15-yard flag, and most weeks it would. Pittsburgh got lucky that the officials kept the flag in their pocket.

And this isn’t new for him. Queen’s been fined twice already this season: $17,389 for roughing Sam Darnold in Week 2 and $23,186 for another roughing call on Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel in Week 6. The reckless reputation follows him.

Queen came over after four years in Baltimore, signing a three-year, $41 million deal with Pittsburgh in 2024. The Steelers thought they were adding a fast, modern linebacker with upside. Essex’s point is simple: if the Ravens let him walk, that should’ve told the tale. Last season masked some of the concerns, but this year those cracks aren’t so subtle.

Through 11 games, Queen has 1.0 sacks, one forced fumble, and still no interceptions. His overall 2025 grade sits at 46.2: 75th out of 83 linebackers who qualify, according to PFF. His coverage numbers are near the bottom of the league, and his run defense grades only a little better.

It hasn’t been what the Steelers hoped for. And the tough part is, he actually started this one well. Six tackles, a hit on Allen, a fumble recovery, easily one of his better stretches of the year. Then the injury happened.

Patrick Queen ruled out for the rest of the game

With a little more than two minutes left in the second quarter, Patrick Queen and Cam Heyward dragged Josh Allen down after a short scramble. It looked like any routine stop, until Queen headed straight for the blue tent with what the team later called a hip injury.

At first, he was listed as questionable, but that didn’t last long. A few minutes later, the Steelers ruled him out, leaving Pittsburgh to lean on Malik Harrison and Payton Wilson the rest of the way. Queen hasn’t been having the season the Steelers hoped for, but he has at least been available every week since he joined the team.

Losing him, even in a down year, leaves a defense that’s already stretched thin without its on-field traffic cop. And that’s the bigger issue. The defense has sputtered for long stretches, and the offense hasn’t done much to cover for it. Not surprising after Pittsburgh failed to add a receiver at the deadline.

Expectations were higher on the defensive side of the ball, and they haven’t lived up to them. But if you look past the box scores, some of this goes beyond Queen or anyone else in the front seven. He hinted as much after last week’s loss to Chicago, pointing to scheme problems that put defenders in spots they can’t reasonably cover.

“I think sometimes it was schematic issues that we had. It’s kind of hard for two guys that are underneath defenders to try to guard two routes that’s overhanging off the hashes and stuff. As much as you know it, you’re trying to play the run. You try to get back to a bang or whatever it is. It’s hard to do that,” he said.

Whether fans agree with that or not, it’s hard to ignore. And with Queen now sidelined, Mike Tomlin doesn’t have long to sort out those issues before his defensive captain is back in the huddle.