On one hand, the Dallas Cowboys improved their defense on Day 1 of free agency by adding defensive lineman Rashan Gary and versatile safety Jalen Thompson.
On the other hand, they intended to sign one of the top edge rushers before the market exploded and whiffed on rumored linebacker targets Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean, and Quay Walker. The Cowboys had interest in all three players, but weren't willing to meet their asking prices despite each landing a very reasonable deal.
Now, the front office is scrambling, and that often leads to reckless decision-making. Sure enough, Dallas is now linked with one of the NFL's most polarizing LBs, with Jane Slater of NFL Network confirming the team's interest in Patrick Queen of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That sentiment is shared by Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who reported the following late Monday night:
"I’m keeping an eye on Patrick Queen at the moment. A handful of teams have called Pittsburgh about a trade here (including the Eagles). Dallas has kept a hand in that mix for this exact scenario, but there are still some things to work through and conversations behind the scenes to be had there."
The Dallas Cowboys' reported interest in Patrick Queen is downright terrifying
Having to trade away a draft pick for a worse player is exactly what happens when you don't pay that extra $2 or $3 million to land a big-ticket free agent. It's been going on for years, and Cowboys fans hoped it would change after the team signed Thompson to a three-year, $33 million deal.
Queen would step in as the Cowboys' best linebacker, but that isn't saying much. DeMarvion Overshown could challenge him for that distinction if he stayed healthy for a full season.
While Pro Football Focus' grading system isn't the be-all, end-all evaluation for players, it speaks volumes that Queen has not been graded highly. In 2025, he ranked 83rd out of 88 linebackers with a 31.3 coverage grade and 64th with a 58.4 run-defense grade.
Beyond that, his 21 defensive stops ranked 36th out of 47 LBs who played at least 250 run-defense snaps, and he had the third-highest missed tackle rate at the position at 21.3 percent.
The selling point with Queen is that he's still just 26 years old and a two-time Pro Bowler who's started every possible game since he was drafted in 2020. Ask yourselves this: why would the Steelers be taking trade calls on that player? Because he's extremely flawed.
That isn't to say Queen is a bad player. He's fine. But any linebacker with NFL-caliber athleticism who never leaves the field is going to post gaudy stats. He's averaged 117.6 combined tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 7.2 quarterback hits, and 4.3 passes defended per year over his six seasons.
Trading a Day 3 pick for Queen wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, but it would be a disastrous pivot given that the Cowboys were in on multiple superior players on Day 1 of free agency.
So much for busting the budget.