Brian Schottenheimer didn’t hide what Dallas is inheriting with Broderick Jones.
The Cowboys head coach had plenty of praise for the former Steelers tackle, calling him a player who “would just eat up all the coaching they could give him. He’s doing terrific. There are some techniques he’s been taught that we’re having to retrain, and usually it takes a minute, but in terms of the athlete and young man, I’m sold,” Schottenheimer said.
That line about having to “retrain” Jones says plenty. It can be read as a simple adjustment to a new system, sure. But it also lands like a quiet shot at the way Jones was handled in Pittsburgh.
That frustration has followed Jones for a while. Steelers fans have long pointed to the team’s trouble developing young talent, and Jones has become the clearest example. Pittsburgh moved him from left tackle to right and then back to left, often leaning on veterans like Dan Moore Jr. instead of giving Jones a cleaner runway.
The bigger issue, though, has been Jones himself. Even after four NFL seasons, his technique still looks a lot like it did at Georgia in 2022. He’s been too often late off the ball, lunging over his feet and struggling to recover when defenders hit him with counter moves.
Before James Campen and Jari Evans were brought in this offseason to run the offensive line for McCarthy’s team, Jones had been working under Pat Meyer, who served as the Steelers’ offensive line coach from 2022 through 2025. And even with Pittsburgh pouring major resources into the line, the group never delivered the kind of results anyone wanted.
Still, Jones can’t escape his own part in this. Coaching matters, but so does buying in and making the leap. At some point, he had to clean it up himself.
Now Dallas gets the chance to see whether Schottenheimer can get more out of him than Pittsburgh did. The Cowboys have already seen George Pickens put together a remarkable campaign in his first year in Dallas after leaving the Steelers, so the idea of another fresh start paying off isn’t exactly far-fetched.
In Other News...
Lions Linked To An Aggressive Move That Would Change This Secondary
The Steelers secondary could end up watching this situation closely, even if the chatter starts in Detroit. A Bleacher Report analyst recently floated a possible trade involving cornerback Joey Porter Jr., tying the conversation to his contract status and the growing sense that the 24-year-old wants a long-term extension while Pittsburgh has not yet put a formal offer on the table. For a team that has leaned on Porter as part of its defensive future, any talk like this naturally lands with extra weight.
Detroits need for help at cornerback is part of what makes the idea intriguing, and the analysts evaluation of Porters trade value only adds to the noise. From Pittsburghs side, the question is less about fit than timing, because Porter remains young enough to be central to the Steelers plans if an extension gets done. Until then, the Lions connection keeps the door open on a scenario that would reshape one of the AFC Norths most watched secondaries. [Read more 🡒]
Ex Steelers Linebacker Lands Fast While Reunion Candidate Still Waits
Malik Harrison did not stay on the market for long. The linebacker, who spent time with the Steelers, has already landed on the Giants practice squad, a quick next step for a veteran trying to carve out another path after moving on from Pittsburgh. For teams sorting through depth and special-teams help late in the roster cycle, players with that kind of experience can still move fast when an opening appears.
Elandon Roberts, another former Steelers linebacker, is still waiting for his next opportunity. His status keeps the reunion conversation alive for anyone tracking Pittsburghs linebacker room and the broader ripple effects of those roster decisions, especially with both players having recent ties to the same defense. For now, the contrast is simple: one ex-Steelers linebacker found a landing spot, while another remains unsigned. [Read more 🡒]
Payton Wilson Just Said What Steelers Fans Wanted To Hear
A new look is coming to the Steelers defense in 2026, with Patrick Graham taking over as defensive coordinator and fresh faces like Jamel Dean and Jaquan Brisker expected to help shape the unit. For Payton Wilson, the early signs of that transition have already been encouraging. The young inside linebacker sounded upbeat about the direction of the defense during a recent podcast appearance, and his comments point to a coaching setup that feels noticeably different from what came before.
Wilsons optimism matters because he is still carving out his role in the middle of Pittsburghs defense, where development and trust go hand in hand. The Steelers want him to keep growing into a key piece of that linebacker room, and the sense that he can play more freely under the new staff only adds to the intrigue around what this defense could look like when the changes fully take hold. [Read more 🡒]