When you were a kid and got invited to play up a grade in baseball or get promoted from JV to varsity in high school, you take that as an honor to play with older, more experienced players against higher-level competition.
Steelers OT Broderick Jones sees it the same way as he continues his rookie season with the team, relishing the opportunity to play with and learn from battle-tested veterans.
“I feel like it’s been a big plus for me to be with the Steelers and the coaching staff that we have and the players that we have around like Dan [Moore], Chuks [Okorafor], Isaac [Seumalo], those guys,” Jones said to the media via video from 93.7 The Fan’s Twitter page. “It helps me play at a different level because these guys have been in the league for so long. Like playing next to Isaac, you know you can’t be a slouch because when he was in Philly, it was always this way and that way. It was always set. So, just being able to play next to him and see how he goes about his day is a big plus for me.”
Jones couldn’t have asked for a better player to line up beside than Seumalo, the left guard being in his eighth season after spending his first seven seasons in Philadelphia with the Eagles. He was a part of some impressive offensive lines during his time across the state, including last season. Seumalo played on one of the most dominant offensive lines in football that also featured LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Jason Kelce, RT Lane Johnson. Seumalo was coached up by one of the game’s best in the game in OL Coach Jeff Stoutland.
Jones was raw coming out of Georgia, having impressive physical traits, but needing to work on his hand placement as well as syncing his hands and feet in pass protection to become a steady NFL offensive tackle. He had a trial-by-fire showing against the Houston Texans coming in for LT Dan Moore Jr., who got hurt early in the game. He played well in his first start against the Baltimore Ravens in Week Five, looking more sound in pass protection while creating some holes in the running game.
“You know, the crazy part about Isaac is like, he’ll talk to you, but he won’t overcomplicate things,” Jones said on video from Steelers.com. “So it’s, it’s like he’ll let you know what’s going on, but he won’t say too much to where you’ll overthink.”
Jones is wise to hitch his wagon to a detail-oriented player like Seumalo. It allows him to continue to learn, grow, and develop at a strong pace as he plays beside a rock-solid vet. It forces him to up his game too, something that Pittsburgh needs from its hopeful future franchise left tackle. We’ll see if he gets his second start this weekend against the Rams with Moore coming back from a MCL sprain, but Jones is doing the right things tying himself to guys like Seumalo to be ready if and when his number is called.
