It’s been a tumultuous first couple years for Broderick Jones with the Pittsburgh Steelers. After not starting early as a rookie, Jones flipped to right tackle. That put him out of position during his first NFL season.
Last year, Jones trained to play both left and right tackle. Because of an injury to rookie starting right tackle Troy Fautanu, Jones started the final 15 regular season games of 2024 at right tackle.
But this offseason, the former No. 14 overall pick is back home at left tackle. It sounds as if Jones couldn’t be happier about that.
“They tried to make me the swing tackle (last year),” Jones told reporters during the first week of the team’s offseason workouts, via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. “It was kind of funky.
“I knew I’ll be going back to left, so this offseason, I just tried to focus on nothing but the left side.”
That’s where Jones played in college for the Georgia Bulldogs. He made first-team All-SEC during his final season in 2022. Georgia won its second straight national championship that winter.
Steelers’ Broderick Jones Back at Left Tackle
The Steelers drafted Jones to be the team’s franchise left tackle. But in Jones’ first two seasons, the organization had a problem — incumbent left tackle Dan Moore Jr. was one of the team’s more experienced lineman, and he couldn’t play another position.
Instead of flipping Moore to right tackle, which head coach Mike Tomlin essentially suggested he couldn’t do, the team played Jones out of position.
The decision made sense in the short term. It gave the Steelers the best offensive line possible in 2023 and 2024. But it may have stunted Jones’ overall growth.
Jones performed fairly well with low expectations playing out of position as a rookie. But last season, he had a rough start to the year. Jones committed three penalties on one drive during Week 2 versus the Denver Broncos.
The 24-year-old, though, did appear to get better as the 2024 campaign went. A vast majority of Jones’ best 2024 performances according to the Pro Football Focus player grades happened after Week 9.
Jones could now be entering a make-or-break year with the Steelers. The team will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option next May. That could mean Jones has one year to prove he can fulfill his first-round promise back at left tackle.
Jones ‘Leaner” at Steelers Offseason Workouts
Other than his intriguing quote about his role last season, there was another notable item about Jones’ first week at the team’s offseason workouts — his weight.
DeFabo wrote Jones “reported to OTAs noticeably leaner.” Although that wasn’t intentional, DeFabo argued it could help the offensive tackle have quicker feet, which was “a signature of his game” when he had success in college.
Of course, having his feet back in a more comfortable spot and not backwards to what he’s used to helps a lot.
“Being back on the left, I feel like it’s a bigger boost for me, just because I’ve been used to playing on the left side,” Jones said, via DeFabo. “Being out here going against people like Alex (Highsmith) and Nick (Herbig), it really helps with the confidence level. When you’re able to block guys like that, it makes you feel like you can do it at any level versus anybody.”
The Steelers plan to start Jones at left tackle since Moore departed for the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Fautanu is expected to start at right tackle.
Pittsburgh could have one of the youngest offensive lines in the NFL this season. Second-year center Zach Frazier should anchor the unit again as he did as a rookie.
2024 fourth-rounder Mason McCormick and Isaac Seumalo are expected to start at the two guard spots.
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