With starting LT Dan Moore Jr. out with a knee injury last Sunday, rookie OT Broderick Jones got the chance to start his first NFL game at home against the hated AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers were coming off a shellacking by the Houston Texans the previous week, looking completely lost on offense outside of a few big plays by RB Najee Harris. Jones got thrown into the game early as Moore left in the first quarter with the injury, taking his lumps early on, but seemed to get more into a groove as the game wore on.
Prior to the Ravens’ game, Jones was able to know he would likely be the starter and received a lot more reps in practice, preparing for his opportunity after being on the bench for the first three weeks of the year.
The Film
Jones didn’t disappoint as he allowed just one pressure in 38 pass-blocking reps as he was Pittsburgh’s highest-graded offensive lineman and the second-best rookie offensive tackle in the league overall on the week, according to Pro Football Focus. Going back to the tape, you could see Jones was a lot more comfortable manning the blindside, having better awareness and recognition of what was happening in front of him. He did a good job picking up twists and stunts last week in Houston, and that continued against Baltimore. As you can see on this rep, he switches defenders with LG Isaac Seumalo to keep QB Kenny Pickett clean in the pocket.
Jones looked more comfortable overall in pass protection on Sunday, handling one-on-one matchups much better than in his first extended NFL action the previous week. Watch this rep in the first quarter against EDGE Jadeveon Clowney. Jones punches Clowney as Clowney tries to spin back inside. Jones redirects to cut him off, stalling Clowney’s rush as Clowney stumbles and falls to the turf, being made a complete non-factor on the play.
When it came to Jones’ run blocking against the Ravens, the results weren’t as good as what we saw the previous week against the Texans. He flashed his athletic ability as a run blocker plenty of times climbing to the second level or working out in space like on this play. Jones sprints toward the sideline on the end around to WR George Pickens, looking for a body to block. He locates S Geno Stone along the sideline but can’t slow down fast enough as he overruns Stone, who makes Pickens leave his feet to end the run.
When it came to base run blocks, Jones didn’t generate as much of a push against a stout Ravens defensive front, but he often was in good position as he fought for leverage. Watch this outside zone run to the left where Jones attempts to reach block DL Broderick Washington. Failing to completely seal off the defender, he does fire off the line of scrimmage to prevent him from stopping Harris as he runs toward the sideline.
Still, Jones can do a better job of sustaining his blocks to the whistle as he tends to disengage after the first couple of seconds. Here’s an example against LB Patrick Queen. Jones does a great job sealing off Queen at the second level but is again unable to drive his left arm and leg through to fully seal off the linebacker. Queen fights off the pressure and gets free of the block to make the tackle on Harris. It was a good play by Jones, but the result could be much better if he learns to complete that seal and sustain the block a little longer.
Jones did display sustainability in his fits on several different occasions though against the Ravens. On Jaylen Warren’s run to put Pittsburgh near the goal line in the fourth quarter, we see him climb up to the second level and pick up LB Roquan Smith. Jones takes him out of the play, preventing him from pursuing as Warren gets to the second level and takes the carry inside the five-yard line.
Jones’ bad pass-protection rep came on this play against Clowney where Jones makes the error of shooting his hands forward with his shoulders outstretched over his toes. Clowney gives Jones the two-hand swipe to win across his face back inside, but Jones is able to recover late and drive his shoulder into Clowney’s hip. This slows him down, thus giving Pickett enough time to scramble from the pocket and find WR Allen Robinson II for a nice gain to shorten the distance to the sticks. It was a loss for Jones on the rep, but he did a great job preventing the pressure from becoming a sack.
Conclusion
It was a successful first start for Broderick Jones as he did a great job keeping Kenny Pickett clean in the pocket while facing veteran pass rushers Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy. He showed that he belonged on the NFL stage, doing his part to help Pittsburgh battle for victory against its AFC North rival, ending the day atop of the division standings heading into the bye week.
Jones looked more comfortable in pass protection throughout the game, playing a lot steadier than the previous week. Even on the plays he was beat, Jones did a great job recovering to prevent a sack, helping Pickett keep the play alive.
Jones still has a lot to improve on in his game, including his hand placement and sustaining blocks, but he has shown noticeable growth in the short time he’s been on the field. Pittsburgh would be wise to continue to roll with Jones after the bye week, even if Dan Moore Jr. is ready to come back. Jones is the future for this team at left tackle, and he needs more reps and experience to continue his development on the field and become the player the Steelers envisioned when they drafted him. Jones didn’t do anything to give the job back to Moore in this performance, so Pittsburgh should keep Jones at left tackle moving forward as its young first-round pick continues to develop and grow.
