Category: Broderick Jones

Should Pittsburgh target an offensive lineman at the trade deadline? 

Poor penalty management by Steelers’ RT Broderick Jones, and injuries to the offensive line may need to be solved via trade by the deadline.

It is truly miraculous how the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to win games given how injured their offensive line is. In Week 8, the Steelers were missing three starting offensive linemen, with two out for the entirety of the regular season. The interior depth on the o-line has been great, but the tackle position may need an upgrade before the upcoming trade deadline on November 5th. 

LT Dan Moore Jr., whose play has been outstanding this season, was banged up and had to sit out one play late in Week 8’s contest. Backup offensive lineman Spencer Anderson replaced him and immediately allowed QB Russell Wilson to get sacked. 

RT Broderick Jones continues to commit penalties that kill offensive momentum, and while it is probably time for HC Mike Tomlin to bench him, there is truly no quality starter who could take his place. 

Offensive tackle trade targets such as Cam Robinson, Andrus Peat, or Walker Little could help alleviate the injury woes. This team looks primed to make a deep playoff run, but they’ll first need to address depth issues on the offensive side of the football. 

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Does Mike Tomlin need to bench RT Broderick Jones again?

Broderick Jones’ penalty woes continued in Week 8, taking an opening-drive TD off the board. Does HC Mike Tomlin need to intervene again?

The more things change, the more they stay the same. While the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive unit appears much more dynamic under Russell Wilson’s leadership, issues on the offensive line continue to hold the offense back.

Specifically, several backup offensive linemen are stepping up in a big way for the Pittsburgh Steelers, yet 2023 first-round draft pick RT Broderick Jones is struggling, arguably making him the weakest link on offense. In 2024, Jones has had issues in all aspects of blocking, with penalties being his greatest weakness. 

On a key play during the Steelers’ Week 8 opening drive, Wilson rolled out to his right and connected with WR George Pickens for a touchdown, only to have it nullified by a face mask penalty from Jones. The penalty yardage proved too much to overcome, forcing the offense to settle for a field goal. 

Jones was benched earlier in the year by HC Mike Tomlin for similar issues, and the team may need to consider it again to prevent the offense’s momentum from stalling.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Broderick Jones’ performance in Week 3

NFL analyst Brian Baldinger breaks down one key play from Broderick Jones’ bounceback performance in Week 3.

Broderick Jones has had an up-and-down start to the year, to say the least.  The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ right tackle struggled with pass protection in Week 1, allowing a pair of sacks against Atlanta’s defense.  His lack of discipline with penalties was on full display early into the Week 2 contest, resulting in his subsequent benching.  Just as fans were starting to lose hope in the 2023 first-round draft selection, he bounced back in a major way with a solid Week 3 performance.

Troy Fautanu suffered a severe knee injury during a Week 2 practice, which led to Jones re-entering the starting lineup.  It was his shot to silence the naysayers, and that’s exactly what he did.

Brian Baldinger, an NFL analyst known for his in-depth player breakdowns, highlighted Jones’ first play of the game against four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa:

Recording a pancake on one of the NFL’s best edge rushers is guaranteed to get eyes on a player.  Jones looked impressive in his return to starting duties and can continue to rebuild the trust of his team moving forward.

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Steelers T Broderick Jones claims elbow injury not affecting performance

Broderick Jones has been a standout on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line this preseason for all the wrong reasons.

Broderick Jones has been a standout on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line this preseason for all the wrong reasons. Jones has been slow to begin the second-year leap Mike Tomlin expects from his 2023 NFL draft class.

According to advanced stats from Pro Football Focus, Jones has allowed four quarterback pressures in the form of two sacks and two hits on quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.

Jones has been donning a brace since injuring his right elbow on the first play of the Steelers’ first training camp practice.

Jones had this to say when asked if the brace is affecting his performance:

It is not the brace. Guys may think it is, but it is nothing wrong with the brace, it’s just me being able to lock in with football and just continuing to grow as a player and trust in my game and just going from there.

Playing with a brace has to be a significant adjustment, as is repping to play at left tackle but starting on the right. Jones could’ve easily fallen on either excuse as to why he’s slow to meet expectations.

If it’s not his elbow and not the constant flipping sides for Jones, then what is it?

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PFF leaves out Steelers OT Broderick Jones from breakout list

Broderick Jones is one of the best young offensive tackles in the NFL.

Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers targeted former Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones in the 2023 NFL draft. The front office felt enough of Jones to trade up in the round to select him.

However, Jones wasn’t simply handed the starting job. The team took their time before Jones was inserted into the starting lineup. But once he go there, he showed off the skills that earned him such a high pick. Jones ended up starting the final 11 games and helped turn the run game around.

But when Pro Football Focus gave their five offensive linemen to watch for a breakout in 2024, Jones was noticeably absent from their list.

The Steelers doubled down on offensive tackles in the 2024 NFL draft going back to the first round for Troy Fautanu. His addition will let Jones move to his natural spot at left tackle while Fautanu lines up on the right. We feel like Jones definitely is one of the best young offensive linemen in the NFL and poised for a huge season even if PFF doesn’t.

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Steelers GM Omar Khan reveals future plans for Broderick Jones

Omar Khan says the Steelers view Broderick Jones as a left tackle.

On Thursday, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan addressed the media at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and addressed the future plans for current starting right tackle Broderick Jones.

Jones was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and was the starting left tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs. But when the Steelers needed him in the second half of 2023, he stepped in for Chuks Okorafor and was tremendous.

But according to Khan, Jones is a left tackle and that’s where the team wants him to end up

Versatility on the offensive line is important, and he proved that he could play right tackle, but he was drafted to be a left tackle and, eventually, he will be a left tackle. When that is, time will tell.

 

If you connect the dots it wouldn’t be a far-flung assumption to make that the Steelers could be looking to add offensive tackle Amaraius Mims in the 2024 NFL draft. Mims was the starting right tackle at Georgia opposite Jones and might be the best pure right tackle in the draft.

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Broderick Jones says Steelers ‘kicking the door down’ to AFC playoffs

The Steelers need a lot to go their way this weekend, but Broderick Jones is pushing for it.

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a lot to go their way this weekend, but rookie offensive lineman Broderick Jones is pushing for it.

“Slip up and let us in we kicking the door down,” he recently posted in his Instagram story.

All is not lost for Pittsburgh to make it happen, but it’s not a win-and-get-in situation. If only it were. Unfortunately, its three-game skid in the middle of the second half of the season put a wrench in those plans.

The Steelers need to beat the Baltimore Ravens for the most straightforward path. If the Steelers win, they need one of two things to happen to get into the playoffs: The Jacksonville Jaguars (versus Tennessee Titans) or Buffalo Bills (versus the Miami Dolphins) must lose one of their games to the Tennessee Titans or Miami Dolphins.

We’d rather not think about it, but there is a route should the Steelers lose this afternoon. If that were to happen, they’d need the Jaguars to lose specifically and the Denver Broncos to beat the Las Vegas Raiders.

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Steelers T Broderick Jones takes team-first approach to ground success

Don’t tell Broderick Jones that it’s no coincidence the Steelers have improved their ground game since he was inserted into starting lineup.

The success the Pittsburgh Steelers had on the ground in Week 12 wasn’t a result of Matt Canada no longer having his hand in things. The unit’s revival is something that’s been building for weeks.

The common denominator? Rookie tackle Broderick Jones.

Since he’s supplanted Chuks Okorafor as the starter in Week 9, Pittsburgh’s averaged a whopping 174 yards per game. Prior to that, the unit averaged just 79.7 per game — nearly 100 fewer yards. That’s an incredible turnaround.

But you won’t hear Jones take the credit.

“It’s not just me,” Jones told Steelers media on Thursday. “Like they say, one man don’t stop no show; one man don’t start it. It’s us as a collective. We’re playing more together. Everybody’s on the same page. That’s all I feel it is.”

He’s not entirely wrong. The other four linemen have picked up their game significantly. But the energy that “the oversized toddler” has brought to the line can’t be overlooked as to why.

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Steelers depth chart shows indecision on Broderick Jones

The Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart has an “or” between right tackles Broderick Jones and veteran Chuks Okorafor.

Offensive tackle Broderick Jones has played solidly in limited outings, two starts, for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he’s not ready to publicly crown him starter — or at least he won’t tip his hand to the Green Bay Packers.

But rest assured, Jones is starting.

“I thought he did some really good things,” Mike Tomlin said of Jones in his Tuesday press conference. “I thought we did some really good things, and so it’s probably worthy of extended look considering he did those things and we did those things on a short week. I’m not going all the way in, but we’ll probably take another look at him and see what it looks like this week.”

A depth chart available to Steelers media listed an “OR” between Jones and veteran Chuks Okorafor, whom Jones replaced in Pittsburgh’s win over Tennessee.

“It means exactly what it says: Or,” Tomlin said with a chuckle.

Jones potentially replacing Okorafor at right tackle could have more to do with Dan Moore than anything. “He is significantly better at left than he is at right.”

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin stunting O-line if Broderick Jones isn’t named starter

Given how well Broderick Jones has played at both spots, would relegating him to reserves be the right move from Mike Tomlin?

14th overall draft pick Broderick Jones got just his second career start on Sunday in lieu of the benched right tackle Chuks Okorafor. His first start came versus the Baltimore Ravens on the left side for the injured Dan Moore. In Okorafor’s case, he was benched for something he said during the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Once Moore was healthy, Jones reverted to his backup role. If Okorafor’s benching was merely a one-time punishment, he could be back in the lineup for the Green Bay Packers matchup.

But given how well Jones has played at both spots, would relegating him to reserves be the right move?

Jones is in the dark about whether he’ll start this week but is playing it like it’s all good either way. “I’m just always ready when my name is called,” he told Steelers media after beating the Tennessee Titans. “The boss tell you to do something, you do it. If push come to shove, I have to come back to it and do it again. I’m looking forward to it.”

There’ll be some noise from the fanbase if Mike Tomlin keeps Jones out of the starting lineup. He helped the unit play at a higher level, given Pittsburgh had its best ground production all year and Kenny Pickett wasn’t sacked for the first time since 2022.

As he did with Joey Porter Jr. last week, Tomlin could very well name Jones the starter at his press conference today. It’s also possible he doesn’t tip his hand to Green Bay.

There’s a method to Tomlin’s madness. For as long as he’s head coach, what he says goes. Steelers fans just need to trust that he will make the right call. But if he doesn’t start Jones, he’ll be stunting the growth of his offensive line.

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