The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers have clearly put their decades-old rivalries behind them. Last May, the two team engaged in a trade that sent wideout George Pickens and a future sixth rounder to Texas in exchange for a third-round and a future fifth-round pick. The two teams would again work together this offseason to bring OT Broderick Jones to Dallas
, with the teams swapping a third and a sixth for a fourth rounder.A few weeks ago, the teams brokered another agreement which brought cornerback Joey Porter, Jr. back home to Texas in exchange for a sixth and a future second. The Steelers wanted nothing more to do with these players, and the Cowboys have reaped the benefits of the Pickens and Porter deals. Could a fourth swap between
the teams be in play as the 2026 trade deadline approaches?
ESPN has identified the 25 players they most see getting traded before the November 10 date, which teams are most likely interested, and what percentage chance the player has of being moved. Sitting at No. 10 on the list is yet another Steeler with an expiring contract, just like the three players Dallas has already acquired from Pittsburgh. This time it's linebacker Patrick Queen.
10. Patrick Queen, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
What Fowler is hearing: Rumors of a Queen trade persisted in the spring, with the Cowboys among teams that checked on his availability. He's also a 2027 free agent. But the Steelers' status as a 5-2 team likely keeps him in Pittsburgh.
Predicted chance of getting traded: 20%
What Bowen sees on tape: 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.
Team fits: Cowboys, Bills
The Cowboys had been without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown since a Week 1 hamstring injury. The fourth-year linebacker has missed a ton of time throughout his career, but he was clearly a difference maker in his Week 7 return, a 38-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles where he had an interception, a second pass deflection as one of two QB pressures, and finished with five tackles.
Whether or not his return mutes the appetite the front office may have in acquiring a linebacker remains to be seen. Queen makes around $600,000 per week of the NFL season as part of a three-year, $41 million deal signed in 2024, so he could cost as much as $6 million against the cap for any team that acquires him.
The 2020 first-round pick is an integral part of the Steelers' team, though, and with Pittsburgh improving to 5-2 on the season, the 20% chance he gets traded seems unreasonably high.
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys make any overtures, and if they'd be willing to part with anything more than a future draft pick commensurate with what Queen might bring as a compensatory consideration if he isn't extended and hits 2027 free agency.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Steelers-Cowboys Trade No. 4? ESPN puts odds on $41M defender's acquisition
