The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing like one of the best teams in the entire NFL as they enter their bye week atop the AFC North with a record of 6-2. Despite their impressive record, the Steelers are fighting through some glaring weaknesses on the offensive side of the football. They have dealt with injuries throughout their offensive line, and they have a serious problem with Broderick Jones at right tackle, who has regressed during his second season.
Jones has had a rough season in 2024. He initially lost his starting job to Troy Fautanu, but the rookie right tackle suffered a season-ending knee injury that forced Jones to re-enter the starting lineup. There has been multiple instances where Jones has seemed to miss his assignment on a play, gets destroyed while pass blocking, or commits hurtful penalties that wipe big plays off the board for the Steelers. Offensive line guru Duke Manyweather had some unkind words for Jones during Pittsburgh's Week 8 victory over the New York Giants.
Jones was Pittsburgh's first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the organization even traded up in the first round to select him. He played left tackle during his collegiate career, but has been forced to switch to right tackle in the NFL. He had a decent rookie year in 2023 where he particularly excelled in the running game, but he has even struggled with that during his second season.
Jones' issues have been easy to spot, and is obviously the weak link on the offensive line during games. Head Coach Mike Tomlin recently stated that he was pleased with the growth and progression he has seen from Jones, which was a bit surprising considering his poor play in 2024. Jones had his worse outing of the season in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, which was the one game that Fautanu started, but Jones did play for one possession before getting pulled from the game.
The second-year right tackle struggled with run blocking in the game, and committed three penalties which killed Pittsburgh's drive. One of the penalties was a hold which wiped a 51-yard pass to George Pickens off of the board. Something similar happened on Monday night, where Jones was called for a face mask penalty that negated a Pickens touchdown.
Currently Jones is Pittsburgh's only semi-reliable option at right tackle due to Fautanu being on Injured Reserve. The outlook on Pittsburgh's season would be a lot more optimistic if Jones could show more of what he displayed during his rookie year in 2023.
Steelers' Broderick Jones' Future Is Unclear
Pittsburgh has invested a ton into their offensive line, and it seems to be paying off. Fautanu looked like an above-average right tackle before going down with an injury, and Zach Frazier was playing like one of the best centers in the league before being forced to miss some time. Frazier should return after the bye week.
Assuming Fautanu comes back in his second-year and looks good, it is unclear what will happen with Jones. The team will likely move on from left tackle Dan Moore Jr. following the 2024 season, which should give Jones an opportunity to start at his natural position. However if he doesn't show some improvement in 2024 and going into the 2025 season, the Steelers could opt to go in a different direction.
