He might only be entering his second NFL season, but Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones is quite comfortable with his standing in the locker room, especially with his new quarterback in Russell Wilson.
Jones, who started 11 games as a rookie with 10 at right tackle and one at left tackle, is excited to get to play in front of not only Wilson, but Justin Fields as well. Though he doesn’t have a preference for who is under center, stating to reporters after Day 1 of Organized Team Activities that both are capable of getting the job done, he wasn’t above having some fun at the expense of Wilson.
In his session with the media Tuesday, Jones poked fun at Wilson’s height, stating how short Wilson is and wondering if the future Hall of Fame quarterback needs to take a 15-step drop to see over the line of scrimmage.
“That’s what I asked him when he first got here. I said, ‘Damn, you’re short. What, you take a 15-step drop?'” Jones said, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page.
Wilson reportedly responded that he can see just fine over the line of scrimmage, taking the ribbing in stride. That shows he can be that personable teammate in the locker room, which was strangely a concern this offseason for one pundit.
Coming out of Wisconsin in the 2012 NFL Draft, Wilson measured in at 5-11, 204 pounds. At the time, according to the NFL.com scouting report, Wilson’s size was his biggest weakness.
“Wilson’s height will be his biggest inhibitor at the next level and the largest reason for his late-round value. It remains to be seen if he can throw effectively from the pocket at the next level,” Wilson’s scouting report said ahead of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Turns out, Wilson could throw quite effectively from the pocket at the NFL level. He has done so for the last 12 seasons, putting together a Hall of Fame resume in the process, thanks to one Super Bowl title, an appearance in another, not to mention nine trips to the Pro Bowl and one second-team All-Pro accolade.
Wilson is now on his third stop in the NFL and will be behind an offensive line with quite a bit of size, including Jones (6053), James Daniels (6033), Zach Frazier (6025), Isaac Seumalo (6037) and Dan Moore Jr. (6055).
That’s nothing new for Wilson, though. He’s made it work at a high level in the NFL and his lack of size hasn’t been a deterrent to this point in his career. It won’t be in Pittsburgh, either.
But it’s great to see Wilson being personable and having fun in the locker room. It’s also pretty telling just how comfortable Jones is entering Year 2 in the locker room, based on him ribbing his new quarterback and offensive leader in Wilson.
