The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offensive line has been through some things this season. Early in the year, the unit was decimated by injuries. The Steelers lost players like Nate Herbig, Troy Fautanu, and James Daniels, who all suffered major injuries early in the year. As is usual for teams that have seen their offensive line’s depth tested, there are a lot of young faces on the line. Two of those are Broderick Jones and Mason McCormick.
Jones is a 2023 first-round draft pick. McCormick, a fourth-round pick out of South Dakota State, is in his rookie season. The two occupy the right side of the Steelers offensive line, with McCormick at guard and Jones at tackle.
They’ve been on the field a lot this season, so it’s no surprise they’re starting to get to know each other better. Jones had some positive words for his teammate, which he shared with the media after practice on Tuesday.
“I feel like me and Mason have a good relationship,” Jones said. “He talks a lot, I talk a lot, so both of us on one side of the field, going against somebody else, it’s not a good sign. He’s a great player. He brings the nasty to the game of football. I like the way he plays, playing next to me. He gives me some time of encouragement, you know, ‘just go out there and be physical, finish plays.'”
As two younger guys who’ve been forced to take on a ton of responsibility this season, the two have each other to lean on. They’ve both been figuring out a lot of things this season. Jones has seen 700 snaps this year, 93 percent of the team’s total offensive snaps. After some early-season struggles, he’s starting to put some positive performances together.
As for McCormick, the rookie has seen 579 snaps, 77 percent of the Steeler’s total. As a fourth-round pick, McCormick likely didn’t expect to have this large of a role coming into the season. The rookie is growing up in front of our eyes right now and, like Jones, has started to put some impressive games down on his resume. The help from players like these two has propelled the Steelers to playoff contention despite all the injuries. Pittsburgh will need these two to continue to play well as the season comes to a close.
