When will Broderick Jones move into the starting lineup?
At least in terms of personnel matters, this is probably the biggest question the Pittsburgh Steelers face this offseason. We don’t know how much Kenny Pickett and George Pickens are going to grow this season, but we know they’re going to be playing all the time, for example.
As we’ve heard time and again, the Steelers didn’t trade up in the first round for Jones to sit on the bench, but there still has to be a process through which they determine he’s ready, because he’s not running unopposed. The coaching staff, regardless of the opinions of the fans, like what they have in Dan Moore Jr., enough that they’re not going to hand the job to the rookie. Still, Mike DeFabo argues that the style of play the Steelers want to run favors Jones.
“This is not going to be a team that they drop back and throw the ball 40-50 times a game”, he told Chris Carter on the Locked on Steelers podcast. “They have made no bones about it, that they want to be an effective running team, and in that situation I believe Broderick Jones is prepared to step in”.
“Not only that, he’s very athletic”, he continued. “He’s a former basketball player that really seems like that. His ability to get out in space when the Steelers run a screen, which would very much be something that Matt Canada’s going to call a lot of, imagine Broderick Jones out there in space paving the way leading the blocking”.
These are all fair points, but I think an equally valid point is the reduced emphasis on pure pass protection assignments, because even though Moore has had his own struggles there, one can reasonably expect Jones to be behind the curve in that department, given his limited college experience.
Moore is capable of being a physical player as well, even if his college and pro tape have never quite looked as dominating from a physical perspective as Jones has at times. It’s been said that the third-year starter has come in bigger this offseason and has looked very motivated.
He should also benefit from going into his second season under Pat Meyer as his position coach. Learning his techniques proved to be a learning curve for Moore, but he was exhibiting the benefits of it by the second half of last year. He did grade out a bit better after the bye week, at least until the finale.
DeFabo is right in noting Jones’ athleticism for his size, though, and it’s hard to ignore those zone runs, screen passes, and jet sweeps that are an important part of the Steelers’ offense—a part that has often suffered because of the blocking on the perimeter.
Of course, that can’t be the reason you put someone in the starting lineup. Ultimately, Jones is going to have to prove he can hold up in pass protection in true pass sets before he gets thrown into the starting lineup, no matter how many other elements of the offense are set up in his favor.
