The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to find out one way or the other how valuable LT Dan Moore Jr. was to have along the offensive line next season. He will sign elsewhere in free agency, and the Steelers will rely on their two most recent first-round picks. In theory, that should become a real strength of the team, but it really hinges on the play of third-year OT Broderick Jones.
“Broderick Jones was drafted at 14 and it hasn’t really worked out yet to this point,” Fittipaldo said via 93.7 The Fan’s Pomp and Joe Show. “I do think there is time, and I do think that going back to his natural left side is gonna help him. I think that’s gonna do a lot for him just to have a home, right? He’s been a team player. He’s flipped over to the other side. He’s done what’s asked of him, but I don’t know if that was necessarily the best thing for Broderick Jones.”
He was drafted to play left tackle, but he only got one start there before replacing Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle in 2023. Since then, he’s started 28 games on the right side, including the playoffs. People have pointed to him playing on the wrong side or his elbow injury last season as the main reasons why his play was so up and down. Both issues should hopefully be fixed heading into 2025. The excuses, and the security of also having Moore as an option, are no longer present.
“This is a huge year for him,” Fittipaldo said. “He’s gotta improve and he’s gotta be really good on that left side for the Steelers’ offensive line and for their long-term plan at offensive line to work. That was the foundation of Omar Khan and Andy Weidl’s first couple of drafts. Improve the offensive line.”
Regardless of who the Steelers bring in at quarterback, or who they may draft or sign at running back, the biggest potential difference in 2025 will be the performance of this o-line. It has the potential and the pedigree to be among the top units in the league and playing up to that potential would instantly make the Steelers’ offense a legitimate force.
How much will flipping back to the left side of the offensive line help Jones? While it’s difficult to answer that question without talking to him or seeing his preparation, he is now more experienced on the right than he ever was on the left coming out of college. He had 19 starts at left tackle in college and added one more in the NFL before starting 28 on the right side. Any muscle memory he had built up on the left side will need to be recaptured throughout this offseason.
When he was having his issues last season, he wasn’t timing his punches correctly or keeping his hands far enough inside to land his punches in the correct location. He also had trouble with his latch strength when he did land his punches. Those issues can’t be fully blamed on playing the wrong side of the line, so don’t expect everything to magically be fixed, either.
That being said, he’s going to be turning 24 years old in May and already has 29 NFL games of starting experience. There is still time for him to turn his career around and become the cornerstone of the offensive line that the Steelers drafted him to be.
