Monday night, Broderick Jones might make his first start of his NFL career. And it might not come at left tackle, the position he ostensibly was drafted to play. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, Jones has been getting work at right tackle while Chukwuma Okorafor remains in concussion protocol.
She tweeted the news earlier today, noting that Dan Moore Jr. said Jones is more natural playing on the right side.
He might be more natural but he doesn’t have the experience. Frankly, neither of them does. That’s been one issue with the Steelers’ offensive line construction, lacking a clear backup right tackle behind Okorafor. Jones had just 19 career college starts at Georgia and spent most of that time on the left side. Moore briefly played right tackle early in his Texas A&M career but has been a left tackle since, the rest of college and going into his third year with the Steelers.
In training camp, Moore saw a handful of snaps on the right side, including several in the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons. When Okorafor went down late in Sunday’s game, Moore flipped to right tackle for the team’s final four snaps while Jones stepped in along the left side. Jones did not log a single snap on the right side through the team’s 16 public training camp practices or in three preseason games.
Other options include OT Dylan Cook, who made the team after a strong camp, and rookie Spencer Anderson, who played all five spots with the Steelers during the summer. Cook was inactive Sunday while Anderson did not play on offense.
Either way, it makes for an awkward fit. In theory, perhaps the Steelers are trying to have Jones avoid Browns DE Myles Garrett, who has traditionally rushed from his right defensive end spot against the opposing team’s left tackle. But Cleveland has moved Garrett around more and more throughout the years and last week, he played considerable snaps on both sides of the line and even a couple of snaps as an off-ball linebacker. With a deeper defensive line, the Browns’ pass rush took care of business against the Cincinnati Bengals’ potent passing game, holding QB Joe Burrow to just 82 yards.
For the Steelers, their best bet is having Okorafor clear the protocol in time for Monday night’s game. If not, it may be Jones replacing him at right tackle for what could be a bumpy first start.
