Just three games into making the transition full-time to left tackle, Pittsburgh Steelers’ third-year offensive tackle Broderick Jones is under the microscope and is dealing with quite a bit of criticism due to his play.
Jones really struggled in Week 1 against the New York Jets, but he did bounce back in Week 2 against Seattle. The performance in Week 3 on the road against New England was just a bit better, but it’s still not exactly where the Steelers seemingly envisioned Jones being at this point.
Still, he’s a work in progress, and that progress is moving forward, rather than regressing. That’s how former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex sees it with Jones. Hosting the latest episode of The Snap Count podcast with former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, Essex praised Jones for playing with more power against the Patriots.
“So I finally saw him throw some hands. Charlie, he threw some hands. And so that’s all I wanna see. And that tells me that he’s listening to coaching, he’s trying to implement that to his game because honestly, that’s the only thing he’s missing,” Essex said of Jones, according to video via the show on X. “He’s an athlete. His footwork is fantastic when he wants to be, and he wants to come off the ball hard.
“…I will say that it’s good that he did not take a step back this week.”
Though Essex acknowledged that Jones missed some assignments due to mental errors, Jones’ game in Foxboro showed a noticeable increase in physicality.
When he’s at his best, he plays with an edge. He showed that in his rookie season and especially last season, which helped him get out of a bit of a funk for a stretch.
The Steelers are struggling to run the football consistently, so if Jones can start to provide more physicality and bring that edge up front, it could help Pittsburgh’s offense.
The biggest concern though is in pass protection with Jones. He currently sits at 49.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, which includes a 47.5 in pass protection. He’s been charged with nine pressures and three sacks, but he allowed just two pressures and no sacks in Week 3 — a step in the right direction.
Progress isn’t linear. Jones is a good example of that. There will be ups and downs as he settles full-time into left tackle. Sunday was a good step in the right direction and a positive sign overall. Now, he needs to keep stacking strong days. He’ll have a challenging task Sunday in Dublin against a great Minnesota defense that disguises things well and can bring pass rushers from anywhere.
Play fast and physical, and things can take care of themselves. He’s starting to get back to being physical, and Essex is glad to see that. Steelers fans should be, too.
