Broderick Jones entered Pittsburgh as the kind of tackle prospect teams talk themselves into fixing. The athletic tools were there, the upside was obvious, and Omar Khan made a move-up pick in the first round in 2023 to get him. Two years later, the Steelers are still trying to figure out what, exactly, they have.
The latest reminder came Friday night against the Jets, when Jones was on the field deep into the preseason game and kept running into the same problem: pressure. He was beaten for a sack early, then allowed another one later against New York’s third-string defense. For a former first-round pick trying to steady his place on the roster, that’s the kind of tape that turns a bad situation into a real conversation.
Jones’ path in Pittsburgh has never been simple. He came out of Georgia with only 19 career starts, so there was always going to be some patience required.
The Steelers first tried him at right tackle even though left tackle was his natural spot, and that didn’t go well. They responded by drafting Troy Fautanu in the first round the following year and sliding Jones back to the left side.
The result was the same: more struggle.
Then came the neck injury in Week 12 last season, which landed him on injured reserve. This offseason, Pittsburgh added yet another tackle in the first round by selecting Max Iheanachor, a move that only made Jones’ outlook look shakier. With Fautanu expected to eventually handle left tackle and Dylan Cook and Iheanachor in the mix on the right side, Jones no longer has a clean lane to a starting job.
That uncertainty has only grown with each preseason appearance. He has taken snaps at both tackle spots, but the performance hasn’t changed much depending on where he lines up. The Steelers were already unsure whether he’d be ready to factor into the tackle competition, and now the bigger question is whether they even want to keep him.
That’s where the roster decision gets uncomfortable. Pittsburgh could keep Jones as a depth option, but if the team decides it has seen enough, final cuts could bring an end to his run before the season even starts.
A trade is another possibility, since he does have 38 career NFL starts and there could be a team desperate enough for offensive line help to take a chance. Still, after the way he has played, the return probably wouldn’t be much more than a Day 3 draft pick.
The Steelers hoped a new coaching staff and a fresh start would help Jones turn things around. So far, that hasn’t happened. After Friday’s performance against the Jets, the former first-round pick is looking less like a long-term answer and more like a player in real danger of being cut.
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Now Wetjen has one last chance to make his case before final cuts, and the margin for error is shrinking fast. Insider Mark Kaboly has already described him as on the bubble for Pittsburghs 53-man roster, which leaves the rookie in a simple but unforgiving place: one more strong performance could help him stick, while another uneven outing would make the decision even tougher for the Steelers staff. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Have One Huge Week 1 Question Up Front
The Steelers head toward Week 1 with a familiar problem on the edge, and this one has shown up early enough to make the rest of camp feel a little uneasy. Pittsburgh has spent the preseason trying to sort out right tackle, but Dylan Cook and Broderick Jones have both had rough stretches in recent games, leaving the spot looking less settled than the team would like this close to the opener.
Max Iheanachor has become the name to watch as the Steelers try to clean it up. The first-round pick is recovering from a shoulder-neck injury, but the expectation is that he should be back soon, and offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio has said he hopes to have him available before the regular season starts. If Iheanachor is ready in time, Pittsburgh may finally have a path to stabilizing the right side of its line. [Read more 🡒]