As a rookie in 2023, Broderick Jones had quite a few veterans to lean on along the offensive line for the Pittsburgh Steelers while transitioning to the NFL.
Now, as a second-year player, Jones is aiming to be that steady presence for a trio of rookies up front in Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick as they make their transition to the NFL.
For Jones, it’s all about helping try and take the edge off all the information and new things that are flying at the rookies, helping them process and adjust while providing them with someone to lean on who went through the same thing a calendar year ago.
Speaking with reporters Wednesday following the fifth Organized Team Activities session, Jones said he’s making sure that while he is telling the young players it’s not “all peaches and cream,” they’re going to be alright and just need to keep working day after day.
“Just last year, just me like coming in and knowing how it is, trying to learn all new things. You got so much coming at you at once,” Broderick Jones said when asked about taking the younger players under his wing, according to video via the Post-Gazette. “I just try and take the edge off of them and just like let ’em know you’re just getting here.
“It’s not gonna be all peaches and cream. You’re gonna get beat. You’re gonna lose. You just gotta be able to adjust and get back in there at the end of the day.”
Coming out of Georgia, Jones was used to quite a bit of success. Often, he was one of the best players on the field. That all changed once he entered the NFL as everyone was on a level playing field from a talent and athleticism standpoint.
Jones had his ups and downs throughout his rookie season, especially while trying to learn left and right tackle in training camp, eventually taking over as the starting right tackle in Week 9. Jones was a shot in the arm for Steelers’ offensive line once inserted into the starting lineup, helping Pittsburgh become one of the better rushing attacks in football in the second half of the season.
But he struggled late in the year from a pass protection standpoint and seemed to hit a rookie wall.
After having gone through that experience as a rookie, Jones is trying to lend a helping hand to rookies like Fautanu, Frazier and McCormick, even sitting next to Frazier in team meetings. The key thing in his message to the younger players, according to Jones, is to not rush things.
“…Just being able for them to figure out one thing at a time. I just try and I try and tell them, don’t try and rush it,” Jones said. “‘Cause like that’s something I tried to do last year. I was trying to rush things, always just trying to hurry up and get through with stuff. So just like me talking to them, I hope it helps. And then hopefully they can just grow from it.”
Broderick Jones has good intentions with wanting to lend a hand to his younger teammates, trying to help them navigate the NFL waters as rookies while having a bunch thrown at them. In turn, Jones is also hoping it helps the rookies have a stronger impact right away, trying to cut down on that learning curve for them as much as he possibly can help.
