Going into last season, there was a lot of hope around Broderick Jones. After being selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, Jones seemed poised to take a step forward with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, that’s not how things played out. Throughout the 2024 offseason, Jones dealt with a ton of uncertainty, mostly surrounding what position he was going to play. It feels like that hindered his development. However, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be a problem this year, at least according to Steelers GM Omar Khan.
“I’d say it’s a safe assumption that going into this that he’ll be the left tackle,” Khan said Tuesday while meeting with reporters, including our Joe Clark, at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Khan’s acknowledgment makes it seem like Dan Moore Jr., a pending free agent, isn’t likely to return to the Steelers. If Moore leaves, the Steelers will find themselves with hole at left tackle for Jones to fill.
That could be a more natural position for him as well. Coming out of college, Jones had spent most of his time at left tackle. However, with Moore in place, the Steelers felt like he would be better served playing on the right side. He did that his rookie year with decent results.
In the 2024 draft, the Steelers selected offensive tackle Troy Fautanu in the first round. That ended up muddying up Jones’ future. Entering training camp that year, it seemed like Jones would continue to get work at right tackle, although it felt like he really had no direction. To start 2024, he was once again on the right side.
Things went from bad to worse for Jones. Not long after the season started, he began to rotate at right tackle with Fautanu. At one point, he got benched for the rookie. However, Fautanu suffered a season-ending knee injury, which forced Jones back into the starting lineup.
The 2024 season was a brutal one for Jones. However, it seems like the Steelers are starting to learn from their mistakes. They’re being more certain with where he’ll play next season, giving him a shot to be their left tackle of the future. This likely slots Fautanu in at right tackle. The Steelers’ offensive line has been in disarray for a few years, but if young players like Jones can develop, it could become the team’s strength.
