In his second NFL season, 2023 first-round draft pick Broderick Jones is expected to take a significant step forward as a key piece of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line.
But Saturday night’s performance in the preseason against the Buffalo Bills was very concerning for the Georgia product.
Playing right tackle again due to rookie Troy Fautanu’s knee injury, Jones struggled mightily. He allowed two sacks and at least two other pressures in the first half, turning in a rather dreadful performance that raised serious concerns.
Jones has been dealing with an elbow injury throughout training camp and is playing with a large brace on his right elbow. That could be hindering him, but against the Bills he was playing too tall, lacked any sort of power in his punch, and his hand usage overall is a mess.
Above is the first sack Jones allowed on the night. He’s too high, doesn’t use independent hands like Steelers OL coach Pat Meyer teaches, and doesn’t have any power in his punch. That allows Buffalo defensive end Gregory Rousseau to easily toss him to the side and win inside for the sack.
Throughout training camp, Jones has been bouncing between right and left tackle, which has hindered him from truly settling into a spot and growing there. That has led to some frustrations within the fan base and many in the media questioning the way the Steelers are handling their young tackle — and rightfully so.
Here is the final pressure Jones allowed against the Bills, giving up an inside counter to get to quarterback Justin Fields, forcing a quick throw. He’s just too high in his pads and isn’t playing with any power like he did as a rookie.
While Jones has stated time and time again that he is comfortable playing wherever the Steelers ask him to line up, he’s been a mess in the first two preseason games at right tackle, a position he is quite familiar with from his rookie season.
As a rookie, Jones played 635 snaps at right tackle in the regular season, and then another 66 in the postseason. It’s not a new position for him, especially from a technique standpoint. But he’s taken a significant step backward in recent weeks.
Maybe it has to do with the elbow brace he’s playing with. If that’s the case, just sit him down and let him get healthy. These reps are doing nothing but hurting his confidence with the way he’s getting beat by pass rushers.
Of course, it’s also fair to mention that Jones really struggled down the stretch last season in pass protection, too, putting together the worst performance of his rookie season in the playoff loss to the Bills. Issues he’s showing now — high pad level, a poor punch lacking power, poor technique overall.
It’s certainly concerning, but it’s fair to question how much his elbow injury and brace are affecting him. Jones needs time to get healthy and shed the brace, if possible. If not, he’s got to figure out how to play with it because what he’s shown so far in the preseason, especially Saturday night against the Bills, is very concerning.
