The Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2 and looking to make the most of Aaron Rodgers’ final season, but their future at inside linebacker remains uncertain. Patrick Queen is in the final year of his contract, and questions about whether Pittsburgh could make a change at the position have followed him into the trade deadline.
Now, two linebackers from the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers have been listed as potential fits for the Steelers. Their situations, however, couldn’t be much different.
Steelers Listed as Trade Fit for Dolphins’ Jordyn Brooks
In his Oct. 22 trade deadline big board, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper listed Pittsburgh, the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys as the best fits for Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks.
Miami has opened 0-6 under coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. Popper suggested the Dolphins could use Brooks to add draft picks, describing him as “a reliable veteran off-ball linebacker.”
Brooks was a first-team All-Pro last season after finishing with an NFL-leading 183 tackles. He has 43 tackles in five appearances this season, and he would give an acquiring team an established starter rather than a short-term depth option.
The contract is the bigger complication.
Miami gave Brooks a three-year, $51.3 million extension in July with $35 million guaranteed. He is signed through 2029, and Popper said nearly $13 million in guaranteed salary would transfer into the equation for 2027. A trade would also leave Miami carrying $15.6 million in dead money next year. Popper pointed out that the Dolphins’ current leadership hasn’t been afraid to absorb dead money.
For Pittsburgh, acquiring Brooks would mean taking on a long-term financial commitment at a position where the Steelers haven’t settled their plans beyond this season. It would also require Miami to part with a player its new front office recently paid to keep.
Chargers’ Daiyan Henley Offers Steelers Different Trade Option
Popper also named the Steelers among the best fits for Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley, along with Buffalo, Cincinnati and Dallas.
Henley, a third-round pick in 2023, has shown he can cover ground in space, contribute as a blitzer and make plays sideline to sideline. But his play has been uneven, and his future with Los Angeles remains unresolved. Popper said Henley battled a severe illness early in 2025 and started this season inconsistently before improving in Week 3.
“The Chargers might view him as a long-term building block,” Popper wrote.
Henley recorded 147 tackles in 2024 and 103 last season. Through six games in 2026, he has 35 tackles and half a sack. Unlike Brooks, the 27-year-old is playing on an expiring rookie contract without an extension in place.
Popper projected a 2026 cap hit of $1.84 million for a team acquiring Henley, compared with just $608,000 for Brooks. Those are in-season acquisition estimates, not their full contract values. The bigger difference comes after the season: Henley would need a new deal, while Brooks is already signed long term.
Pittsburgh’s own linebacker situation remains part of the conversation. Queen has 38 tackles and an interception through six games, but questions about Queen’s future have persisted. Payton Wilson is another option, while Elandon Roberts returned on a practice-squad deal earlier this month.
Neither listing amounts to a report that Pittsburgh has contacted Miami or Los Angeles. But with the Nov. 10 deadline approaching, the Steelers have been named as a potential landing spot for both a proven, expensive veteran and a younger linebacker nearing free agency.
Steelers Named Trade Fit for Dolphins, Chargers LBs Amid $41M Starter Questions