Leading into the Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos, it became clear that rookie OT Troy Fautanu was going to get the starting nod. In the hours leading up to the game, reports surfaced that indicated there would be a rotation at right tackle that included Broderick Jones.
Jones was on the sideline for the first two drives, but his name was called when the offense took the field for the third time.
It unfortunately did not go well for Jones. He had two holding calls and a false start against him, one of which erased a 51-yard completion from Justin Fields to George Pickens. After the third penalty, he was pulled from the game and did not return.
Jones was asked about the penalties after the game.
“Defenders flop, refs throw flags. That’s the end of that. There’s really not much you can do about it. Just a next-play mentality and keep going,” Jones said in a video posted by The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo on X.
He was then asked how frustrating it is to have penalties kill momentum.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but you gotta have a short memory,” Jones said. “It’s always a next-play mentality because you don’t want it to become repetitive. You just gotta always try to flush it as soon as it happens and then get back on your A game.”
Below are the two holding calls from that drive. To be fair to Jones, neither penalty was egregious by any means. The first one was yet another reminder that he needs to improve his punch placement. If his hands were on the chest plate instead of under the shoulder pads, that almost never gets called. The second one, he let go of Jonathon Cooper pretty quickly after the Broncos OLB ripped past him, but the jersey tug is going to be seen more often than not.
It was a tough position to be in for Jones. He was benched for a rookie who has barely been able to practice since a knee injury suffered in the preseason opener. He hasn’t had a good preseason or first two weeks, and the three penalties were the nail in the coffin to end the tackle rotation.
Were the refs a little more flag-happy than usual? Probably, but Jones has to find ways to clean up his technique. Both with the penalties and his punch placement and timing in general.
