The Pittsburgh Steelers have put up their three worst performances of the 2024 season in the last three weeks, and these atrocities have led to three consecutive losses by double-digits. The offense has struggled, but the more concerning issue has been the defense. Pittsburgh has the highest-paid defensive unit in the NFL, and the group hasn't been performing like they are typically expected to. There has been clear lapses in coverage, and the group hasn't been able to get the opposing offense off of the field.
Communication is a key component of playing defense in the NFL. All three levels of the defense need to be in sync, and Pittsburgh's unit hasn't done that over the last three weeks. The communication starts with Patrick Queen. The inside linebacker wears the green dot, meaning he is the only defender that is directly receiving the play-call from the coaching staff. It is his responsibility as the quarterback of the unit to communicate that call with the rest of the defense.
Steelers insider Ray Fittipaldo highlighted a clear issue with the defense during an appearance on Sportsline With George Von Benko, and it is a direct indictment on the linebacker.
"So listen, Queen is responsible for getting the call from the coaches, and then he relays it to the front four and he also relays it to the backend." Fittipaldo said. "Then, there is all kinds of checks that come with you know the personnel, the formation, and what goes on there. The issue for the Steelers, if you watch these games closely, they're still trying to get lined up as the other team is snapping the ball. They're still talking to each other as the ball is being snapped. That's no way to play defense."
Queen isn't entirely responsible for every lapse in communication that happens on the defensive side of the ball, but he certainly shoulders the load as the quarterback of the defense. It is his responsibility to make sure that the 10 other defenders on the field are all on the same page, and that just hasn't been happening throughout Pittsburgh's three game losing streak.
With communication being as big of an issue as it has over the last stretch of games, it may be time for the team to consider changing who is in charge of relaying the plays on defense. Most teams have an inside linebacker wear the green dot, but at the tail end of the 2023 season the Steelers linebacker group was extremely beat up.
During that time, Minkah Fitzpatrick wore the green dot for a few games. It may be time for him to resume that responsibility if the communication aspect of the defense is truly seen as an issue by the coaching staff.
Steelers Need To Get Much More Out Of Patrick Queen Moving Forward
The Steelers signed Queen to a three-year, $41 million contract during the 2024 offseason. Many fans were excited about the signed as Queen was coming off of his first All-Pro season with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, and the fact that Pittsburgh stole him from Baltimore was something fans loved to see. The expectations for Queen were sky-high going into the 2024 season, and it is fair to say that he has not met those expectations.
Queen has had some good performances in the black and gold. With nine tackles in the regular season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals the linebacker would tie his season-high in tackles, but he hasn't been able to make many splash plays. He forced a fumble and recovered it earlier in the year against Baltimore, but other than that the linebacker doesn't have many highlights.
He has been an above-average linebacker throughout the season, but he is not playing at the All-Pro level the organization was hoping for. Now with the communication issues plaguing the defense, the contract for Queen might be a little concerning.
