Broderick Jones was supposed to be the Steelers’ future at tackle. What’s gone wrong? (2024)

PITTSBURGH — When the Pittsburgh Steelers invested first-round picks on offensive tackles in back-to-back drafts, it appeared the organization had a stable foundation to protect the quarterback for years to come. That process has hit a major snag two games into the season as Broderick Jones, the 14th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, continues to struggle.

During his normal Tuesday news conference, coach Mike Tomlin said the plan Sunday at the Denver Broncos was to start rookie Troy Fautanu at right tackle. But because Fautanu missed time with a knee injury and his conditioning might have been a concern, the coach was preparing to rotate Jones in at right tackle.

“I had every intention of using Broderick,” Tomlin said. “But when Broderick started getting highly penalized in play, I backed off of it, I held my breath, and I played Troy.”

Fautanu started and played the first two series. It spiraled into an unmitigated disaster when Jones checked in for the third series.

Jones jumped offsides on third-and-6 to create a third-and-11. He was flagged for holding two plays later on a Najee Harris run. Another holding call two plays after that negated a fantastic throw from Justin Fields on the run and off of one foot that would have been a 51-yard completion to George Pickens.

Broderick Jones on his penalties: “Defenders flop. Refs throw flags. That’s the end of that.” pic.twitter.com/SBFlDo3K86

— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) September 16, 2024

That series was all Jones saw. He was benched for good after just 11 plays. Jones has played 75 snaps this season, including 32 in pass protection. He has allowed two pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, and two sacks (both against the Atlanta Falcons).

Jones said he didn’t need Tomlin to get in his ear on the sideline; he was already beating himself up for his miscues.

“I’m chewing my own self out,” Jones said Sunday. “It’s something that you don’t want to have as an O-lineman. You just try to get over that as quick as possible.”

What went wrong to turn a player who was supposed to be the future at left tackle into a backup? Well, there’s enough blame to go around.

Anytime a player struggles, he should be the first to receive some criticism. Jones’ preseason performance caused concern, as he allowed two sacks on the same series during the second preseason game. At the time, it was something to watch but not yet enough to cause major concern. It’s worth wondering whether this could continue to be an issue throughout the season and whether Jones’ development could be stunted by his setback.

It’s also worth noting that Jones is less than 100 percent. He’s wearing a bulky brace on his right arm after an elbow injury. On many instances, it looks like his right arm doesn’t have the same punch he showed last year. Jones said previously he’s as healthy as he’s going to get this year. Reading between the lines, it seems this might be the type of injury that requires offseason surgery until he’s fully healthy.

It’s also fair to wonder whether the Steelers have put the best plan in place to develop a first-round talent, especially someone like Jones. When the Steelers traded up to pick No. 14 and general manager Omar Khan spent his first-ever draft choice on the Georgia tackle, they had gotten a lineman with outstanding mobility and the frame at 6 feet 5 and 311 pounds to become a dominant left tackle. However, he was the last-available tackle with a first-round grade because he was raw after just 19 collegiate starts.

Whatever team drafted Jones would have to realize he needed development and time to become a polished pass protector. The Steelers’ approach has been puzzling in that way. It took until the midpoint in the season last year for Jones to earn a starting spot, and surprisingly, the Steelers chose to break him in at right tackle. That was somewhat reasonable considering Jones had the physicality to make a difference in the run game even if his pass protection needed work.

Coming into this year, the Steelers expected Jones to be solid on the right and the left. As his playing time has shown, he was going to play right tackle until Fautanu got healthy, and then eventually, at some uncertain point, Jones would switch to left.

That’s a lot to ask of any player, let alone a raw, second-year player trying to develop at one of the most difficult positions on the field. It would be easy from the outside to wonder if the Steelers are asking too much out of Jones too soon. However, Tomlin confirmed Tuesday that the Steelers will continue with a similar cross-training approach, as Jones is listed as the backup at right and left tackle.

“That was going to be his role, regardless of who starts and who doesn’t,” Tomlin said. “He is the most-positioned guy of the three to swing, and so he’s been the swing.”

Tomlin said he will continue to give the 2023 first-round pick opportunities and is open to using a rotation throughout the season. The coach said how the reps are distributed this week against the Los Angeles Chargers will be determined during practices Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

“I’m going to give Broderick an opportunity to rebound,” Tomlin said. “He’s a talented young player. I’m sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of Troy (Fautanu) starting. It’s a natural thing, but he’s got to move past it, and I gotta give him an opportunity to move past it as a leader. And so we’ll get into this week.”

If Jones is struggling on the right, you could argue the Steelers would be better off repping the second-year tackle at just one position. Part of the issue is that Dan Moore Jr. is only comfortable on the left and the Steelers want to break in Fautanu on the right. That wouldn’t be a problem if Jones played up to his draft position. But now that he’s not, it’s worth wondering whether the Steelers need to alter their approach.

“Everybody has ups and downs,” Jones said. “Just got to try to continue to battle and come out on the right side of it. That’s how I’m looking at it. That’s how I see it. I’m not looking at it as a punishment or anything. Just got to continue to get better.”

(Photo: Amy Lemus / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Mike DeFabo is a staff writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for The Athletic. Prior to joining The Athletic, he spent three years at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a Penguins beat writer, three years covering Purdue football and basketball for CNHI and one season following the Michigan State basketball team to the 2019 Final Four for the Lansing State Journal. Mike is a native of Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the proud home of Steelers training camp, and graduated from American University in Washington, D.C. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeDeFabo