Prior to the ball being kicked off in Acrisure Stadium on Thursday night, it was already reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to make a change at right tackle. According to Adam Crowley of 93.7 The Fan, starting right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor was going to be benched in favor of rookie OT Broderick Jones, getting his second start of the season after starting the Ravens game in place of the injured Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle.
Jones represented himself well in that contest, and according to head coach Mike Tomlin, Jones proved throughout practice this week that he was worthy to get a shot to start over Okorafor on the right side.
“I just thought that we needed a spark,” Tomlin said to the media via video from the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “I thought Broderick worked hard and was deserving of an opportunity, so we gave it to him.”
According to Crowley’s report, it sounded like Okorafor may have been dealing with some kind of injury, although he wasn’t listed on the team’s final injury report. Tomlin was more definitive with his answer, stating that the offensive line needed a spark after numerous poor performances, opting to put Jones in the lineup over Okorafor and keeping Moore on the left side. It was a tall task for Jones, but he wasn’t about to question the opportunity Tomlin presented him.
“That was a challenge just moving to the right,” Jones said to the media on video from Chris Adamski’s Twitter page. “Going against elite pass rushers… so just being able to lock in on my skills and take what I know from the left to the right and just play my game.”
Jones represented himself well while logging his first start at right tackle since his freshman year of college. He did a good job neutralizing EDGE Harold Landry, who is considered one of the better pass rushers in the league, keeping him from getting to QB Kenny Pickett in the pocket as he didn’t register a sack. Jones also did a great job sparking the running game, helping Pittsburgh pick up 166 yards on the ground as RBs Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris both had strong outings.
Tomlin mentioned last season when he put Pickett in at halftime for Mitch Trubisky that he thought the offense needed a spark, and Pickett would go on to be the team’s starting quarterback for every game he was healthy for the rest of the season. Perhaps we could see the same with Jones, who has now played well in his two starts as a rookie, showing the fan base why Pittsburgh traded up to select him in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
