Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Broderick Jones could be the second most important player on the Steelers’ offense this year, behind only the quarterback he’s protecting. Thus, some found it troubling to hear of his early training camp struggles, and a subsequent soft-tissue injury that kept him out of action.
Since returning, things have been much better, according to Steelers reporter Jeff Hathhorn.
“Yeah, he has looked better,” Hathhorn said Thursday on 93.7 The Fan. “I mean, again, he’s only had like 15 snaps that have been against an opponent. So let’s see how that growing goes. But considering the first couple of days, when there were a couple of spin moves, and [Nick] Herbig got by him, and everyone thought, ‘Oh my gosh this is going to be a disaster.’ It has come a long way since then. I do think his arrow is pointing up.”
Hathhorn’s referring to the 15 snaps Jones played against the Jaguars last Saturday. Yes, that is a small sample size, and it won’t tell the story of how his 2025 season is going to go. However, those snaps were impressive. Jones pass blocked on 12 of them, and he didn’t allow a single pressure or commit a penalty.
That performance is on the heels of an impressive end to camp for Broderick Jones. Hathhorn references Nick Herbig blowing past him on the first day of camp. That clip went somewhat viral among Steelers fans. However, he wasn’t completely healthy, with an injury keeping him out of action shortly after. Since then, Jones and the rest of the offensive have been able to string some good practices together.
There were always going to be some early struggles for Jones this year, though. He’s trying to cement himself as the Steelers’ franchise left tackle, but that’s not easy to do considering he’s moved back and forth across the line in his first two NFL seasons. Getting familiar with a different side of the line will take time. Jones has been a left tackle before but not consistently at the NFL level.
Fortunately, Jones is attacking this season with the right mindset. And he’s getting comfortable with a new physique as well. Jones dropped a lot of weight this offseason. That’s part of an effort to become more agile, and he’s also recently putting some of that weight back on as well.
Broderick Jones is in for a massive year, no matter how it plays out. If he plays well, it means the world for his NFL future. If he struggles, not only will it hurt the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers, but also his chances of a payday when he hits free agency for the first time. This is probably the most important year of Jones’ career, but he’s making progress, according to Hathhorn.
