The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Would Broderick Jones start at right tackle if Chukwuma Okorafor can’t play?
We learned yesterday that Steelers rookie Broderick Jones was taking practice reps at right tackle. This is the first time since he was drafted that any such information was reported, and it comes while starting RT Chukwuma Okorafor is working his way through the concussion protocol.
Okorafor exited this past Sunday’s game late, and when that happened, LT Dan Moore Jr. slid over to the right side, the Steelers plugging Jones in at right tackle. Now with the potential for Okorafor to actually miss a game, the Steelers are working Jones at right tackle.
But is that the plan if indeed Okorafor were to miss a game—either on Monday or at some other point in the future? Because up until now, it seemed as though the plan would be to slide Moore to the right side and play Jones at left tackle.
After all, that’s what the Steelers did for Moore when he was a rookie. Okorafor spent the entire offseason practicing on the left side, but when Zach Banner had a setback with his knee at right tackle, Okorafor moved back to the right side and Moore, who had never played on that side until training camp, was plugged in at left tackle.
It’s not ideal for your swing tackle to be limited to playing only one side, for many reasons. One significant downside is that if your left tackle is your backup right tackle, or vice versa, they’re not going to get many opportunities in-season to get the needed practice reps there because, you know, they’re practicing with the purpose of playing.
At this point I’m reasonably confident that Okorafor will clear the concussion protocol and play on Monday, but it’s got me wondering what the Steelers’ plan is. They didn’t feel comfortable tossing Jones in at right tackle on Sunday, having never given him reps there before, but what they do it now? Or at least after a few weeks of working him there?
