As we’ve done in previous years, we’re taking a look at those Pittsburgh Steelers under futures contracts for the 2021 offseason. The ones who spent most if not the entire year on the practice squad, and what we can expect from them during training camp (hopefully) into the regular season.
#74 Jarron Jones/OT – 6’6 320
You know the Watt brothers, TJ and Derek. And the Edmunds’ brothers, Terrell and Trey. The Jones’ brothers are the third sibling duo on the roster after Jones’ brother Jamir was signed earlier this offseason.
But Jones arrived first, signing April 20th, 2020. Jones was part of the XFL’s New York Guardians roster before the league folded because of the pandemic. Shortly after, the Steelers signed him and DT Cavon Walker the same day.
Before professional football, Jones was a defensive linemen at Notre Dame. As a senior in 2016, he racked up 11 tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception. Undrafted in the 2017 class, he signed with the New York Giants before quickly moving on to the Seattle Seahawks. They decided to convert him to offensive line, a common move for Pete Carroll to make. He did it with J.R. Sweezy (successfully) and Kristjan Sokoli (unsuccessfully). But he didn’t stick to their roster and was released, landing with Buffalo before moving onto the XFL. For the last 13 months, Pittsburgh has been his home.
But he’s yet to log a snap in a regular season game. The Steelers carried him through the 2020 preseason, released him at cutdowns, and then signed him back to the practice squad. He would spend most of the season there before an undisclosed injury landed him on the little-used practice squad/injured list. Jones inked a futures contract in the offseason.
The most notable piece of news around Jones since coming to Pittsburgh was for all the wrong reasons. In October, he was arrested on aggravated assault charges in a domestic violence situation. The allegations were disturbing. It seemed that would be the end of his Steelers’ career, the team quickly issuing a statement saying they were aware of the situation, but there was never any public follow-up. Jones remained on the roster and the league never handed down a punishment. With Jones still in good standing and signed back, presumably, the matter has been resolved.
On the football field, the Steelers seem fairly set at tackle. Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner as the starters, Joe Haeg as the swing guy, and rookie Dan Moore Jr’s spot should be secure. It will likely take an injury for Jones to have a chance but last year, the team called up Anthony Coyle before Jones.
Assuming we can attend training camp, it’ll just be good to get eyes on Jones. Our evaluation of him is extremely limited since we couldn’t attend practice last season and Jones hasn’t played in a preseason game with the team. Hopefully we’ll have a better feel for his game mid-way through August.
