The Dallas Cowboys may be back in the market for defensive help, and a familiar trade target has surfaced again as the NFL deadline creeps closer.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen has been tied to Dallas since before the new league year even began. The Cowboys reportedly checked in with Pittsburgh earlier in the offseason about Queen’s availability, and that conversation could be coming back around with the deadline less than two weeks away.
Much of the buzz around Dallas has focused on edge rushers, with Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby and Arizona Cardinals standout Josh Sweat among the names floating through the rumor mill. But linebacker help also fits a defense that has struggled, and Queen has become one of the more intriguing possibilities.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler brought the idea back into the spotlight in a recent ranking of the top 25 players who could be moved.
"Rumors of a Queen trade persisted in the spring, with the Cowboys among teams that checked on his availability," Fowler writes. "He's also a 2027 free agent. But the Steelers' status as a 5-2 team likely keeps him in Pittsburgh."
Fowler listed Queen with the Cowboys and Buffalo Bills as the best fits, though he also put the odds of a trade at just percent.
If Dallas made a run at Queen, it would only deepen a trade history that has already gotten pretty familiar between these two franchises. The Cowboys have already pulled off deals with Pittsburgh for cornerback Joey Porter Jr., wide receiver George Pickens and offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Another swap would fit right into that pattern.
On the field, Queen would bring a specific skill set to Dallas. Matt Bowen described him this way: "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."
Now it comes down to whether Jerry Jones wants to make another move before the deadline, which is set for Tuesday, November 10, at 4:00 p.m. ET.
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