The only rotating Broderick Jones did last Sunday was spinning himself off the field. Despite Pittsburgh’s attempted two-man show at right tackle between himself and rookie Troy Fautanu, Jones was yanked midway through his first series after three costly penalties and repeated missed assignments.
Speaking to reporters Thursday, Jones didn’t sugarcoat his play.
“Shit, I played bad,” he said via The Trib’s Chris Adamski. “That’s all it is at the end of the day. You fuck up, you get pulled.”
Fautanu started in Denver and played the first two series. Jones came on for the Steelers’ third drive, backed up inside their 1-yard line. Pittsburgh moved the ball downfield but stalled due to three Jones penalties. Twice, he was called for holding, including one that negated a spectacular 51-yard completion to George Pickens deep inside Broncos’ territory. The other was a false start where Jones didn’t know the snap count, moving on “one” when Pittsburgh was going on “two.”
This one is really bad. Just doesn’t know the snap count. Thinks they’re going on one but they’re going on two. Fake head bob from Frazier. You can see Pat hold up “two” after the play. pic.twitter.com/rYrg4jzsWv
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 17, 2024
After his third penalty, Jones was pulled and replaced by Fautanu, who finished the drive.
Per the PPG’s Brian Batko, Jones says he’s feeling the heat.
After the game, Mike Tomlin said the rotation was designed due to the team’s uncertainty over Fautanu’s conditioning. To that point, he had played only one half of football, spraining his MCL in the first half of the preseason opener against the Houston Texans and serving as a backup tackle in Week 1. Denver’s altitude only compounded those concerns. But with Jones’ poor showing, the team rolled the dice on Fautanu the rest of the way. He played well and kept QB Justin Fields upright.
Jones’ role for Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers is uncertain. Going back to a rotation doesn’t seem helpful for anyone and even Broderick Jones didn’t seem to favor it. Perhaps the team will use him as a sixth offensive lineman in heavy packages, especially as TE MyCole Pruitt is in danger of missing Sunday’s game due to a knee injury. So far, there’s been no talk of Jones being used in that role, but it would be a way to keep him engaged and get him snaps.
