ESPN Suddenly Labels Steelers' Patrick Queen As Trade Deadline Target For Cowboys And Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers have put themselves in a very nice position entering Week 8 of the 2026 NFL regular season. The team is a victory away over the Cleveland Browns from improving to 6-2 and holding the top spot in the AFC North. Right after that contest, the collective will enter its bye week. It will be anything but that for general manager Omar Khan, who has a November 10th trade deadline to worry about. It would be wise for the front office to explore the market, particularly if there are interesting names at wide receiver and cornerback available.

Based on the Steelers' record, it shouldn't even be considered to sell any pieces that can help the team win now. An incredible offer would have to come in if another organization wanted to grab someone who is currently starting in Pittsburgh. Well, on Wednesday morning, a report from Jeremy Fowler's ESPN brought attention to a specific defender in the Steel City.

Patrick Queen has rumors surrounding him throughout the early portion in the offseason. Then, the team arrived as the deadline which saw the linebacker get paid a roster bonus. It didn't make sense to trade him at that time. Now, though, there is still some belief out there that the Steelers could be looking to move on from the soon-to-be free agent.

On a list of the top-25 most likely players do get dealt in the coming weeks, Queen landed at 10. Fowler wanted to make sure that he paid mind to the fact that it would be an unlikely move.

"Rumors of a Queen trade persisted in the spring, with the Cowboys among teams that checked on his availability," Fowler wrote. "He's also a 2027 free agent. But the Steelers' status as a 5-2 team likely keeps him in Pittsburgh."

Matt Bowen contributed to the piece with Fowler and added a little bit about the skill set that Queen possesses. The analyst emphasized how good the defender is at attacking the football.

"Queen is a run-and-hit defender with lateral pursuit speed. He can track the ball on the perimeter and close quickly on underneath throws as a zone defender. Queen struggles at times as a run defender in tight quarters, and his route identification can improve, but he has had at least 115 tackles in each of his four previous seasons. And he has 26 pass breakups over the past five years."

Two franchises were connected to the linebacker. The Dallas Cowboys were mentioned by ESPN, as were the Buffalo Bills. Again, it would have to be a very significant offer for the Steelers to even consider it. The defense is playing some of its best football in some time.

Queen arguably played one of his strongest games of his Steelers career on Sunday in Paris. He was all over the field and attacking gaps on every run play. He showed Pittsburgh exactly why it would not want to trade him.

Khan and Co. are expected to be active when it comes to adding pieces to the roster. Removing some, however, shouldn't be in the plans. The Steelers have something clicking, and moving on from the defensive signal-caller wouldn't make a whole lot of sense. For now, this speculation from ESPN doesn't seem worth entertaining too much. Queen is performing at a high level and should continue to contribute as the season moves along.

Steelers Expected To Lose Queen In Free Agency

Another possibility surrounding Queen is his status come 2027 as an unrestricted free agent. He will have the ability to sign anywhere. If the deal is somewhat sizable, Pittsburgh could be in line to earn a compensatory selection in 2028. That is one of the other reasons why it doesn't make a ton of sense to shop him in the present. The Steelers didn't give him an extension in the offseason, though, so he is most likely playing his final couple of months in the Black and Gold.

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