The Pittsburgh Steelers did it again, pulling out an ugly win against the Baltimore Ravens. The final result is all that matters, but not everyone had a great game. Broderick Jones in particular had a rough outing. Not only was he having a tough time blocking, but his penalty issues popped up once again. After a good effort in Week 10, Jones took a step back. Mike Tomlin isn’t losing confidence in him, though.
“I am not worried about that,” Tomlin said after the game via the team’s YouTube channel. “You guys can write all you want. Broderick Jones is playing right tackle for us. He’s going to continue to get better. He’s a top-quality player in terms of his talent. He’s a young guy. He’s experiencing some on-the-job training. He and I will not blink. Keep writing.”
That has to make Jones feel better, but it’s not like the Steelers have many options beyond him. Injuries have robbed them of much of their offensive line depth. The Steelers actually did try to replace Jones at right tackle earlier this year. Troy Fautanu won the starting job after Jones had a horrible day against the Denver Broncos. However, Fautanu was lost for the season shortly after that.
Tomlin is correct that Jones is a young player with a lot of talent. Only in his second year in the league, Jones does have the potential to be a great starter. That’s why the Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2023 draft to select him. However, he hasn’t developed the way they thought he would.
Part of that might also be the Steelers’ fault. When he was in college, Jones played mostly left tackle. During his rookie year, the Steelers played Jones at right tackle. Then, going into this year, they didn’t really have him focus on one position, flipping him back and forth to both sides.
That lack of consistency might have hurt Jones’ development. However, some of his issues are still his own. His hand usage has been horrid at times, seeming to lack power. The penalties have been costly as well. That’s what got him benched for Fautanu in the first place. At this point, though, the Steelers don’t have many other options at offensive tackle.
Jones hasn’t been terrible for the whole season. He actually looked alright against the Washington Commanders. There are reasons to trust Tomlin’s faith in him. Jones might not be a franchise tackle yet, but perhaps he can continue to grow. Dan Moore Jr. didn’t look great for much of the start of his career, and now he’s a quality starter. Jones could do similar things.
