Steelers' Latest Trade Candidates Now Emerging: "Hasn’t Been Nearly Worth The Return"

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2026 offseason in some unchartered waters. They are now looking for a new head coach following a 19-year run with former head coach Mike Tomlin. With several young, up-and-coming candidates tabbed as potential successors to Tomlin's role with the Steelers, this may not be the only area in which they see some change this offseason. Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus now has mentioned that a couple of trade candidates are emerging from the Steelers' roster. 

Locker cites that the team may trade linebacker Patrick Queen, as well as offensive tackle Broderick Jones during the 2026 offseason. Queen found himself in a more increased role with the Steelers' defense, as he mentioned he was becoming too frustrated at times, rather than being a calm leader and expressing issues he saw on the field calmly to Defensive Coordinator Teryl Austin. The increased role was more from an intangibles perspective as Queen is the quarterback of the Steelers' defense. Jones, on the other hand, was sidelined for the remainder of the 2025 season following a neck injury in Week 12. Dylan Cook stepped in to replace the injured Jones and outperformed him.

"When the Steelers invested nearly record money in Queen two offseasons ago, the team figured it had made a splash to bolster a good defense. Instead, that $41 million investment hasn’t been nearly worth the return," Locker wrote. "Since 2024, Queen has missed the most tackles in the league (53) and owns a 48.0 overall PFF grade, the second-worst among 18 linebackers to play 2,000 or more snaps in that span."

While Pro Football Focus has been known to have an odd type of grading system, the 53 missed tackles since 2024 is quite an alarming stat. While Queen's improved communication led them to improved defensive performances in their last five games of the regular season, that stat is concerning in regards to Queen's overall production. The Steelers did win four of those five games down the stretch to help earn them an AFC North division title and a playoff berth, however. 

Jones is an interesting name in this list, due to the uncertainty of his future with the neck injury he sustained. However, with Cook's performance being an upgrade over Jones, the Steelers can quickly replace him.

Steelers' Inevitable Changes Reach Beyond Head-Coaching Vacancy

The Steelers need for a new head coach is atop their list of priorities this offseason. However, the Steelers' roster and how it was constructed was an issue that stood out in 2025. One glaring problem was the lack of a reliable second wide receiver, which stuck out like a sore thumb, and limited the production of DK Metcalf offensively. Should the Steelers move on from Queen as Locker mentioned, that opens up another position of need in Pittsburgh as they get deeper into the 2026 offseason.

If the Steelers do move on from Queen and then have another position of need to fill, it would benefit them to do so sooner rather than later. This would allow Pittsburgh to look at several different avenues in which they could fill the void of a Queen trade. They would not only have free agency and the option to trade for another linebacker, but they could also find one in the upcoming NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh, PA.

The increased role Queen took on trying to step up and be a more veteran leader is encouraging. However, the missed tackle trends the last two seasons are definitely discouraging for a Steelers defense that was significantly inconsistent early on in 2025. While the 26-year-old Queen is relatively young in the NFL world, they can go even younger in the draft, which is not something the Steelers are unaccustomed to. 

Would you like to see the Steelers move on from Queen and possibly Jones as well via trade? Let us know in the comments below!

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