A preseason injury in Houston may have just nudged the Steelers into a difficult conversation about Broderick Jones.
Pittsburgh still has a first-round investment sitting in Jones, and that matters. The Steelers used that kind of capital on him in 2023, and after giving him meaningful run, they’re not likely to walk away with nothing if there’s another path available.
Jones has logged real experience with the team, including significant snaps at right tackle as a rookie in 2023. Since then, he’s worked on both sides of the line, so the résumé is there even if the results have been uneven.
That uneven stretch is exactly why his status has become a talking point. Jones has not delivered the kind of preseason showing that settles anyone down, and fans have started wondering whether he could even be on the outside looking in. That seems unlikely to be Pittsburgh’s first move, but it does put the front office in a spot where trade value has to be part of the discussion.
Houston may be the cleanest fit.
On Wednesday, Texans right tackle Braden Smith was carted off during joint practice with a foot injury, and the severity is unclear. That kind of setback can change a team’s plans fast, especially when Week 1 is creeping closer.
Smith signed a two-year, $25 million deal, and in 2025 he allowed just one sack, according to Pro Football Focus ($), while posting a 71.9 pass-blocking grade. Replacing that sort of production won’t be easy, but if Houston needs insurance, it has to start looking now.
Jones has already done the work on the right side, which is what makes the idea workable. Pittsburgh played him there for more than 1,000 snaps during the 2024 season, so this would not be a leap into unfamiliar territory.
The appeal for Houston is obvious: a young tackle with size, experience, and positional flexibility. The appeal for Pittsburgh is simpler - if Jones doesn’t turn things around, maybe they can still extract something useful from the pick.
That something might not be much. His inconsistencies and injury history would almost certainly drag down the return, and the source of the best-case deal sounds modest: a conditional 2027 Day 3 draft pick. That’s not the kind of return anyone dreams about for a former first-rounder, but it may be the market if Pittsburgh decides to move.
There’s still a scenario where Jones stays put. The Steelers have given him time, and in a perfect world he’d stick around and carve out a different role. But if he doesn’t make a lasting impression in Pittsburgh’s preseason finale, the decision may get made for them.
If that happens, the Steelers may have to accept that the best value left in the deal is whatever they can get back now.
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