He’s been under a microscope all year since making the move to left tackle for Year 3 in the NFL. Like any young player, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones is riding the rollercoaster of the season so far.
Through four weeks, Jones has had some good moments. He’s shown some poor moments, like during the season opener against the Jets in New York. But after Week 4 in Dublin against the Minnesota Vikings, the arrow is clearly pointing up for Jones.
For Steelers’ offensive line coach Pat Meyer, Jones continues to grow in his third season in the NFL, taking strides forward to become that key piece of the Steelers’ offensive line. Speaking with reporters Tuesday ahead of the bye week, Meyer made clear that the key with Jones is his practice habits.
How he practices during the week tends to be how he plays.
“Well, he still is young, but he’s still in year three. It was growth time, and he’s done that,” Meyer said of Jones, according to video via 93.7 The Fan on Twitter/X.” He’s still got a ways to go, but we’re gonna continue to work it every week, where it’s like, it’s not just what we see on Sunday for the three hours, it’s what happens on Monday in the classroom or what happens when we practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday.
“This approach of practice, when he approaches practice the right way and does the things the right way, and then typically it’s carried over to the games.”
It shouldn’t be surprising to hear about Jones and his preparation throughout the week. Leading up to the season, the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported that some inside the organization wanted to see Jones take things more seriously and become a better professional.
That includes his day-to-day preparation throughout the week, both in the classroom and on the field.
So far, it seems like Jones is turning a corner. While he struggled early in the season, he’s coming on strong in both pass protection and run blocking. Of course, it helps that the Steelers get the ball out quickly with Aaron Rodgers under center. Still, Jones is asserting himself.
In the first four games of the year, Jones’ numbers from Pro Football Focus don’t look that great. But he’s performing better than the metrics say. In 225 snaps offensively, Jones holds a grade of just 49.9 overall from PFF, including a 48.1 as a run blocker and a 47.4 in pass protection. He’s allowed 10 pressures and four sacks on the season. But he’s allowed just three pressures in the last two games, performing at a much higher level.
Year 3 was a big year for Jones. It still is. He’s showing growth, and that’s all that matters right now.
