A surprising report surfaced at the beginning of this week from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Gerry Dulac stating that the team views Troy Fautanu as its second-best offensive linemen. The plan, according to Dulac, was for Fautanu to assume the full-time starting role against the Buffalo Bills in the second preseason game on his way to starting Week 1 of the regular season. Perhaps the more surprising part of that report is that Broderick Jones would be competing with Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle.
I think the assumption for most of the offseason has been that once Fautanu earned the right tackle job, Jones would slot in on the left side. Omar Khan stated during the offseason that eventually Jones would be the left tackle. And Jones has said multiple times that he doesn’t care which side he plays on as long as he is on the field as a starter. Is there a chance that Jones loses that battle for Week 1 and starts out the season on the bench?
“The idea is that Broderick Jones and Dan Moore are going to quote battle that out on the left side,” Dulac said via the North Shore Drive podcast on Friday morning. “Well look, Omar Khan has been on record, and we all know they drafted Broderick Jones to be a left tackle…After starting 11 games at right tackle, they are not going to put Broderick Jones back on the bench. They drafted him number one for a reason last year, and he will be the left tackle. So there will not be a battle at left tackle.”
Jones earned his first start last season at left tackle in Week 5 against the Baltimore Ravens due to an injury to Moore. It wasn’t until Week 9 that Jones earned a full-time starting job on the right side. Starting 11 games, including the Wild Card playoff game, it would be very unusual to demote him at this stage of his career and have him on the bench.
I understand showing deference to Moore after being a three-year starter at left tackle, but Jones has been developing into a leader of the offensive line. It wouldn’t be a great situation to send him to the bench. He has been willing to do whatever the team asks of him, flipping sides throughout the offseason.
With Zach Frazier on his way to becoming the Week 1 starter, the time is now to rip off the Band-Aid and let the offensive line youth movement play out. Jones—as a leader of the unit—needs to be a part of those plans.
