To quote baseball legend Yogi Berra, things are getting late early out here for Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
In an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, former Steelers lineman Trai Essex declared that it's time for Jones to go hard or go home now that he's slated to serve as the primary left tackle following the departure of Dan Moore Jr. to the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
“Everybody’s been calling for it, everybody’s been saying it’s coaching malpractice putting him on the right side, but he’s a professional athlete,” Essex said on 93.7 The Fan. “I’ve always been a big advocate of you gotta get in where you fit in, and if right tackle was where they wanted you to be at, then you should have be thriving at that position. Left tackle, it’s gonna be a transition. It’s been three years since he’s played that position, and it’s a whole different ball game. He has to do it or else he may be looking for a new place next year.”
The No. 14 overall pick out of Georgia in the 2023 NFL Draft, Jones was anointed as a future stalwart up front for Pittsburgh. His first two seasons in the league, however, have been far from smooth.
He logged just 126 snaps over the team's first seven games of his rookie campaign, all of which came at left tackle, but he earned a promotion to the starting lineup in favor of Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle in Week 9.
Jones allowed 30 pressures and five sacks in 701 reps from that point forward, per Pro Football Focus.
He remained atop the depth chart at the position entering his sophomore campaign with Moore on the left side of the line and 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu on the mend due to a knee injury he suffered during the preseason.
Jones essentially lost his job once Fautanu returned after committing three penalties during a single series in a Week 2 contest versus the Denver Broncos, though the rookie dislocated his kneecap in practice ahead of Week 3 and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the year.
In consequence, Jones finished the season with 16 starts under his belt. The results weren't promising, as PFF credited him with allowing the second-most sacks in the league (11) while racking up 10 infractions.
He's certainly been inconsistent thus far, but Pittsburgh is rightfully holding out hope that everything will click in the near future amidst his move back to left tackle, where he played throughout his collegiate career.
If Jones doesn't improve in 2025 though, it could be time to ponder how long he'll last with the organization.
