Things are no good right now for second-year Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
Not only has he been dealing with an elbow injury since the first day of padded practices at training camp in Latrobe, but on the field in the last two preseason games, Jones has been a mess.
None worse than the performance he had against the Buffalo Bills last Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
Jones allowed two sacks, multiple pressures and really looked lost at right tackle, struggling in pass protection and in the run game. His technique was all over the place, hand usage was very poor and there was no power in his punches. That could all be tied to the elbow injury, which has him wearing a large brace on his right arm.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said that he’s not using Smith’s injury as an excuse and that everyone is dealing with something. He also said Jones getting beat early is an issue.
“Once you get through the first practice, somebody is dealing with something. Maybe more than others, if somebody is out there, they’re medically cleared, I don’t look it like that with Broderick,” Smith said about his potential elbow injury. “Any lineman, whatever position, whatever scheme, you get beat early, that’s an issue,” Smith said via Aaron Becker of YardBarker on Twitter.
But even with the struggles and the debates of if he should even start the season if rookie Troy Fautanu is back healthy in time for the Sept. 8 opener on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, Smith is still in Jones’ corner.
“I got a lot of confidence in Broderick,” Smith said. “I think what he did last year was one of the more impressive things as a young guy, coming into the league very young, didn’t play a ton at Georgia and he stepped in on a short week and played right tackle in a Thursday night game. That’s pretty damn impressive,” Smith said via Amanda Godsey on YouTube.
Smith also praised Jones’ mindset.
“I love his mindset. He’s another guy who doesn’t run away from the fight.”
Jones’ issues right now aren’t about being on the left or the right side. Yes, the left side at left tackle is his more natural position, the one he played primarily in college. But the right side is not a new one for him, considering he played nearly 700 snaps there as a rookie and was good for much of the year before falling off late in the season and in the playoffs.
It’s not an inexperience thing or a comfort issue. Jones has stated time and time again to the media he doesn’t care what side he’s on, as long as he’s on the field. It’s a great mindset to have, without a doubt.
But the Steelers aren’t exactly doing things right with Jones, having him flip back and forth the way they have as a rookie and in the early portion of the 2024 season in offseason workouts, minicamp and training camp. They aren’t doing it with Fautanu, yet they are doing it with Jones.
It doesn’t make much sense.
But it’s certainly comforting knowing that despite Jones facing plenty of criticism currently for his play on the field from the fanbase and the media, the coaches and teammates on the team have his back and appreciate his mindset and mentality, much like Smith laid out.
Hopefully that backing helps Jones get back to the level of play he showed as a rookie, which had so many high on the Georgia product overall.
