While first round picks start sooner than later, especially when it comes to offensive linemen, NFL analyst Greg Cosell isn’t so sure Broderick Jones will take the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first snap of the season come September 10th when the San Francisco 49ers come to town.
Cosell appeared on the latest episode of the Ross Tucker podcast to preview the AFC North. When it came to the Steelers, he struck a more optimistic tone on incumbent Dan Moore Jr. and said Jones may not be Day One ready.
“Based on tape study, I did not think Broderick Jones would be ready to start Year One,” Cosell told Tucker. “But I guess we’ll find that out. They certainly have him penciled in. I didn’t necessarily think Dan Moore had played poorly at left tackle for them but they obviously feel like they needed an upgrade or they wouldn’t have drafted Broderick Jones in the first round.”
Pittsburgh made the move on draft night to go up and get Jones, trading up from #17 to #14 to take him, the first offensive tackle the Steelers have taken in the first round since 1996. The book on Jones is a raw but uber-athletic player. He started just 19 games at Georgia and only one full season, making Cosell wonder if he’s ready to make an immediate jump to football’s highest level.
It’s a thought we’ve floated as well. Last month, we discussed why Moore will give Jones a better fight than most anticipate. He’s the veteran with experience in the league and just as importantly, OL Coach Pat Meyer’s system, which takes time for players to adjust to. Combine Jones’ general rawness with the Steelers’ system and it could create growing pains out of the gate for him.
Despite PFF metrics being unkind to him, Moore has improved throughout his career. Especially the backhalf of 2022, he looked better in pass protection and truly became an asset as a run blocker. His biggest issue has been defending power and bull rushes and showing his functional strength in pass protection.
During the spring, Moore has already begun to concede some first team reps to Jones. Last week, Moore saw action at right tackle and he’s likely to continue seeing time there throughout the rest of the spring into training camp. Jones will be given every chance to win the job and if he does, Moore will become the team’s swing tackle. With limited work at right tackle, he’ll need as many reps as he can get on the right side.
Of course, if Moore is able to hang onto his starting blindside job, it’ll be curious to see if Jones can take on that swing tackle role. Will the Steelers give Jones enough reps at right tackle throughout the preseason? Is there a scenario – and this will sound a little crazy – where Jones begins the year inactive to veteran Le’Raven Clark, a far worse player but someone who has time at both tackle spots. That would be worst-case scenario but if Jones can’t win the starting job, the team will have to determine where he fits best.
