When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up in the first round to select Georgia OT Broderick Jones, they were hoping for somebody who could lead the offensive line into the future. Outside of the two guards currently on the roster who were brought in as free agents, the other players probably aren’t being viewed as cornerstones of the line for years to come. Jones has a chance to be just that, and according to his teammate Cameron Heyward, he is well on his way.
“You look at a guy like Broderick, he took his lumps early, but I thought he brought the energy of how a Maurkice Pouncey would play,” Heyward said during the ALL NFL Podcast with Brian Baldinger and Anthony Gargano. “He’s not Maurkice Pouncey, but he’s got that tendency where he’s gonna lead the group eventually. He’s a dog, and we put him in situations where he’s gotta feel uncomfortable right now because he is a younger guy, but it’s gonna pay dividends down the road.”
Among those uncomfortable situations is the fact that Jones was playing out of position for most of his rookie season. He is naturally a left tackle and played there for 19 starts in college, but outside of one start at left tackle in Week Five, he took over the starting right tackle position in Week Nine and remained there for the rest of the season.
After Jones was inserted at right tackle, the Steelers’ rushing offense made a complete turnaround. In the first eight weeks, prior to Jones starting at right tackle, they were averaging just 79.7 yards per game on the ground before nearly doubling that number with 145.2 rushing yards per game over the final ten weeks with him at right tackle. Not to say it was all perfect—there were noticeable growing pains with Jones particularly in pass protection. Over the final five weeks, he allowed 18 total pressures and four sacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
As Heyward suggested, those uncomfortable positions he is working through as a rookie could pay dividends for his overall career as he grows into his role as a leader. Some of the blocks Jones made during his rookie season, particularly on the move paving the way for Najee Harris or Jaylen Warren, were very impressive.
Mike Tomlin told the media that he was “undecided” if they would be flipping Jones back to left tackle in the future, saying he is more than capable on either side. Some of that will depend on how the draft falls, with the Steelers very likely to grab one in one of the deepest tackle classes in recent memory.
Tomlin, for what it’s worth, also recently compared Jones to Pouncey. Not a bad guy to be compared to after just one season in the NFL.
