The biggest, most important position battle the Pittsburgh Steelers are dealing with in training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe continues to be the left tackle position. Yet one player in the battle isn’t even focused on the starting job.
For Steelers rookie Broderick Jones, he’s not worried about the starting job right now in his first camp as a member of the Black and Gold after being selected No. 14 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. That doesn’t mean he’s complacent as a backup or doesn’t want the job to open the season.
It means he’s focusing on getting better individually each and every day, knowing the process he’s going through will play out in due time as long as he continues to focus on what he can control.
“I really just try and focus on getting better each and every day, because if I get better each and every day everything will fall into place,” Jones told reporters following practice Saturday, according to video via Steelers.com. “So that’s all I try and focus on. Just my repetition each and every day, being able to provide for the team and just being the best version of me at the end of the day.”
That mentality stems from Jones’ time at the University of Georgia.
Coming out of high school Jones was a five-star prospect, considered one of the best tackle prospects in the country. Once he stepped onto campus in Athens as a member of the Bulldogs, that five-star rating went out the window. It meant nothing. Everything had to be earned. Nothing was given.
That’s the same thing in the NFL. It doesn’t matter how you got there, it’s how you perform under head coach Mike Tomlin that ultimately determines playing time, pecking order on the depth chart and more. Though Jones was a first-round pick and the Steelers traded up to acquire him, he still has to earn the job.
So far, that hasn’t happened in training camp. That doesn’t mean Jones has been a disappointment, because he’s certainly shown flashes. He just hasn’t shown enough yet to overtake Dan Moore Jr.
With that focus on getting better each and every day, Jones is starting to earn more opportunities with the top unit. He received some first-team reps earlier in the week with Chukwuma Okorafor getting a veteran day off, pushing Moore to right tackle. He also got some looks against outside linebacker Markus Golden and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward in 1v1 drills as the Steelers start to really push him to see what they have.
The starting job is seemingly there for the taking, but kudos to Jones for leaning on the mentality and thought process that made him so successful at Georgia. Focus on getting better each day and things will work out the way they’re supposed to. One day at a time.
