The Pittsburgh Steelers made a big investment in Broderick Jones, and they’re still waiting for it to pay off. In 2023, they moved up three spots in the first round to draft the offensive tackle 14th overall. While he has 27 starts under his belt, he hasn’t shown the kind of progress that promises long-term success.
Still, their plans for Jones haven’t always gone smoothly. They drafted him to play left tackle, but he has only started one game there so far, trapped on the right side. Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that is expected to change this offseason.
But regardless of where the Steelers play Broderick Jones, he needs to step things up. Gerry Dulac of the same outlet also reported that they have some concerns about their young buck up front. Given how important the line is to their plans, this is not an insignificant variable.
“Broderick Jones did not develop as much in his second season as the Steelers were expecting, which should make his presumptive move to left tackle in 2025 all the more interesting”, Dulac wrote. “They want Jones to be more committed to his job”.
If indeed true, the case of Broderick Jones reminds me of Marcus Gilbert. Drafted in the second round in 2011, he took a few years to develop, finally blossoming under Mike Munchak. But perhaps like Jones, he also had to mature and learn how to be a professional. The Steelers hope they can see the same sort of progress from their current right tackle.
The Steelers also once briefly attempted to move Gilbert to left tackle, but they eventually changed tracks. One hopes that doesn’t also happen to Broderick Jones, unless Troy Fautanu develops into a franchise left tackle himself.
Jones is part of a concerted effort to improve the Steelers’ offensive line in recent years. While the process began in free agency with the likes of James Daniels and Isaac Seumalo, they more recently turned to the draft. Jones and Fautanu are their most recent first-round picks, but that’s not all. In 2024, they also drafted C Zach Frazier in the second round and G Mason McCormick in the fourth.
One wonders what sparked Dulac’s report that the Steelers want to see more commitment from Jones. Over his first two years, he has shown some leadership traits, and a clear desire to succeed. But we don’t see everything that goes on behind closed doors, even on Hard Knocks.
All we know is that if Jones doesn’t pan out, that’s going to set the Steelers’ line back. About a decade ago, they were just beginning to have one of the best offensive lines in football. They want to get back to the days of Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, and Alejandro Villanueva. Could they have that with their young tackles and Frazier? McCormick can be the new Big Ragu, maybe even with a hint of DeCastro in him.
