The Pittsburgh Steelers are in an offseason that already has brought significant change as Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 years as their head coach. That change will carry over to the roster, too, as the Steelers have 28 players set to hit free agency, not to mention some decisions to make on highly compensated veterans like T.J. Watt in regard to his future in the Steel City.

There’s also the question of whether team captain Cameron Heyward will return for a 16th NFL season, or if he’ll call it quits on a high note individually following yet another All-Pro accolade.

Those aren’t the only decisions to make about the roster, either. The Steelers are entering a major transition period. A new coach will come into the mix and will want to put his stamp on the roster and work with GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl to shape the roster how he sees fit. That could lead to some familiar faces being cast aside, particularly via trade.

For Pro Football Focus’ Bradley Locker, two Steelers are among 15 trade candidates this offseason: linebacker Patrick Queen and left tackle Broderick Jones.

Queen, who is entering the final year of his three-year deal, could still remain that key piece defensively in the middle. But he’s left a lot to be desired since coming over from Baltimore in free agency ahead of the 2024 season.

“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 writes. “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.

“Queen is set to enter the 2026 campaign on an expiring deal. With the Steelers needing better linebacker play, getting his contract off the books would make sense.”

The missed tackles are a major concern. They were during his time in Baltimore, and they were in his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, too. Queen finds himself around the football a great amount. But he’s just not completing the play far too often. In 2025, Queen was charted with 28 missed tackles here at Steelers Depot, the most ever recorded in a season since the site started tracking missed tackles in 2016.

His missed tackles percentage was 17.8, too, so he had a high number of missed tackles and a high miss rate overall. Queen did question the scheme at times this season, which was rather eye-opening. He emerged as a leader defensively in 2025, but change could be coming for him.

Still, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers moving on from Queen at this point.

Then, there’s offensive tackle Broderick Jones. The Steelers have to make a decision about his fifth-year option, which is projected to be $19.949 million, and would be fully guaranteed for the 2027 season if the Steelers pick it up.

Prior to his season-ending neck injury in Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, Jones was trending in the right direction. Though he allowed 23 pressures and six sacks in 2025, he had cleaned up the penalty issues he had in his first two seasons and was starting to play some good football.

But now, with the emergence of Dylan Cook in his absence, the Steelers could have a tough decision to make, not just from a talent perspective but from a financial one, too. That’s why Locker has Jones as a trade candidate.

“The Georgia product has failed to perform as expected through his first three campaigns, owning a 58.1 overall PFF grade while procuring a sub-60.0 PFF pass- and run-blocking mark. Additionally, Jones has permitted 22 sacks in his career — the fourth-most of any lineman since 2023,” Locker writes. “It didn’t bode great for Jones that, following a season-ending neck injury in Week 12, former undrafted free agent Dylan Cook outperformed him.

“Expect the Steelers to try to add talent at the position — and if Jones can’t reclaim his starting spot, then the 24-year-old may be on the block.”

Cook got a lot of help with chips and an extra tight end at times as the Steelers aimed to protect him. But he did play pretty well overall and earned plenty of praise down the stretch.

We’ll see what staff changes occur for the Steelers after Tomlin stepped down, and what that means for offensive line coach Pat Meyer. But he had the group playing well late in the season and did a good job of developing Jones at left tackle this season as well as Cook.