He didn’t get any reps with the first-team offense on Day One of training camp, but Pittsburgh Steelers rookie OT Broderick Jones didn’t have to wait much longer. He got his first taste of the starting lineup of the summer yesterday, getting mixed in with incumbent Dan Moore Jr. Though he already got first-team reps during OTAs and minicamp, there is a heightened significance and urgency in July and August than there is in May and June.
“It is [exciting] just because of the competition level. I like to compete”, he told reporters about his first experience working with the ones in camp, via 93.7 The Fan. While he didn’t get to go up against Alex Highsmith just yet, he said “It was really more Markus [Golden] all day, but that’s still good work, either way”.
Golden is one of a number of experienced veteran players that the Steelers added this offseason to shore up some weak links. A former second-round pick now in his ninth season, Golden posted double-digit sacks as recently as 2021.
While there have been reports of the rookie Bulldog having some struggles in his pass sets particularly with speed rushers, it’s all a part of the process of getting better. The important part is that he is learning and growing.
“I feel like each and every day I’m getting better at something. Just continuing to stack those days and perform to the best of my abilities”, he told reporters about how the offseason has gone, particularly since entering camp, even if it’s only been two days of work so far. “Hand usage was the emphasis for me today”.
That’s not a surprise given his somewhat limited college resume and knowing what we know about Steelers offensive line coach Pat Meyer, who prefers to coach his charges up to use their hands independently rather than delivering two-hand punches.
A lot of linemen have to adapt to an independent-hand technique if merging into such a system, and that was a process for a lot of the Steelers’ own last year, 2022 being Meyer’s first season with the team. That’s one likely reason that we saw a fairly significant improvement over the course of the season within the group as they grew more comfortable.
It should be noted that head coach Mike Tomlin basically said not to pay attention to pecking orders and things of that nature at least until the pads come on, though it’s impossible not to note when a left tackle you traded up for in the first round starts working at protecting your young franchise quarterback’s blindside. That’s a pairing you’re hoping to see for another 10-15 years.
But this is just the beginning of a long road for Jones, one that will eventually lead to the starting lineup, though at what point we can’t say. Will we get there by the time the regular season begins? Well, that will be determined by how much better he gets each and every day—in comparison to Moore, anyway.
