The Pittsburgh Steelers have likely lost first-round pick Troy Fautanu for the remainder of the regular season. That’s awful, but it does give Broderick Jones a chance to prove himself. Jones struggled mightily in Week 2 after rotating in for Fautanu before being benched. With Fautanu’s knee injury, that didn’t last long. Jones looked better in Week 3 although he still wasn’t flawless. It sounds like getting to solely focus on right tackle could be good for him though.
“Playing one side is also a big factor,” Jones said Monday via Steelers Live on Twitter. “Not being able to hone in on your skills and not switch them from side to side every so often. It is good just being on one side, and we’re just gonna continue to try and build from there.”
Jones hasn’t developed the way the Steelers hoped he would, but part of that blame may rest with them. Jones was a left tackle in college, but when the Steelers played him last year, he was at right tackle. After drafting Fautanu this year, it seemed like they were going to play Jones at left tackle this season.
However, the Steelers haven’t seemed to lose any faith in Dan Moore Jr., causing them to flip-flop Jones at tackle. For a player who was raw coming out of college, having him practice at two positions at the same time seems unwise.
It sounds like Jones didn’t love the process either. Now, he is the team’s starting right tackle again, and that’s where he’ll get the bulk of his work. The process of flipping him back and forth should be over this year, barring more injuries. It’s unclear what will happen with him next year when Fautanu returns, but at the moment, it’s best to focus on this year.
Mike Tomlin sounded happy with Jones’ performance in Week 3, and he’s handled this entire situation like a pro. He’s taken accountability and owned up to his failures. Nothing is stopping him from still blossoming into a good player. He’s very young at only 23 years old. If he plays the rest of this season and looks serviceable, maybe the Steelers will allow him to continue focusing on only one position. It sounds like something he’s interested in doing.
