While it was assumed that Broderick Jones was banged up in some capacity earlier this season, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided some clarity as to what exactly Jones was dealing with. Per Fowler, Jones was dealing with injuries to his elbow and his wrist that he played through.
“Steelers right tackle Broderick Jones fought through adversity to have a bounce-back game in Week 3. He dealt with elbow and wrist injuries in the preseason and played through them,” Fowler wrote in a weekly news and notes column.
Jones didn’t start in Week 2 after a shaky preseason and Week 1 performance, instead coming in during the team’s third series as part of a rotation with OT Troy Fautanu. Jones committed three penalties in his lone series and didn’t return to the game. With Fautanu going on IR with a knee injury, Jones was back in the starting lineup for Week 3.
Mike Tomlin praised the way Jones bounced back, and the nature of the injuries could explain some of his early-season struggles. While Jones said he was “as healthy as I’m gonna get,” the injuries to his elbow and wrist could’ve prevented him from getting some power on his punches. That was something he really struggled with earlier this season as he simply wasn’t able to get any pop. Part of that was due to the fact that he wasn’t using independent hands, using both hands at once to punch, but if he had elbow and wrist injuries, that could’ve been a preventive measure to avoid either aggravating the injuries or trying to compensate for the lack of power.
Jones could’ve blamed the injuries for his struggles, but he didn’t, and he’s dealt with a lot of adversity early in the season. He’s done a great job of taking accountability for his play, and he did bounce back a bit in Week 3. Hopefully, Jones is healthier now and can continue to progress and show that he can be a long-term piece at tackle for the Steelers.
Players deal with bumps and bruises throughout the course of the season, but it seems as if Jones’ injuries probably impacted his play some earlier this season. The Steelers didn’t feel the injuries were severe enough to sit him, but there’s no doubt that arm injuries can affect a lot of the power and technique that helps offensive linemen succeed. Now that we’re a month removed from Jones claiming he’s as healthy as he’s going to get, he should at least feel better now, and that could lead to better play for the rest of the season.
