Here’s one story that we missed over the weekend while we were all worrying about what Devin Bush was going to say next on Twitter: Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Jarron Jones (#79), who was arrested in October last year stemming from a domestic assault charge against his spouse, was recently re-arrested on similar charges against the same woman from an incident in September.
According to Noah Strackbein, Jones had three charges dropped from the original arresting incident on June 27 during a preliminary hearing, including strangulation and terroristic threat charges—he is said to have struck his partner with a gaming console—but was arrested again after those charges were settled, for the prior incident.
Jones’ charges for the incident in September include aggravated assault, simple assault, and harassment. He is said to have struck her in the face and broken her nose after the police had already been to their residence. She then fell and injured her wrist. He dropped her off at the hospital before traveling to the team hotel prior to the Steelers’ game against the Denver Broncos.
Jones, a Notre Dame product, was originally signed in April 2020 shortly before the draft as a street free agent after playing in the XFL. He spent most of the season on the practice squad, but was moved to the Practice Squad/Injured List at the end of December. The team signed him to a Reserve/Futures contract on January 15.
The Jarron Jones situation, to the best of my knowledge, has gone entirely unaddressed by the team. With the news of a second, prior incident occurring, it is more than fair to question the team’s decision to continue to carry him on the roster, when they have released players of a similar stature for similar or more minor charges, such as Kameron Kelly in 2019.
As it stands, he remains with the team and is set to participate in training camp later this month. He is one of numerous fringe tackle candidates, which also includes Brandon Walton, Aviante Collins, and John Leglue. None are likely to make the 53-man roster.
The Steelers signed Jones’ brother, Jamir, to the 90-man roster back in April of this year. An outside linebacker, he, too, attended Notre Dame, and was signed by the team after he participated in the school’s Pro Day as an alumnus.
Even with numerous departures along the offensive line, Pittsburgh should have enough to fill the 53-man roster. Chukwuma Okorafor and Zach Banner are likely to be the starting tackles, with Trai Turner and Kevin Dotson at guard. Rookie Kendrick Green will compete at center.
The team also signed Joe Haeg, Rashaad Coward, and B.J. Finney as free agents, while adding Dan Moore Jr. in the draft. J.C. Hassenauer is another carryover from last season’s roster. At least one of the 10 named above will not make the 53-man roster; in other words, it’s very unlikely Jones has a realistic chance, but as long as the Steelers continue to employ him, that chance is greater than zero.
