The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the past two offseasons working on rebuilding their offensive line. They have drafted multiple players, including tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. They joined the much-maligned veteran Dan Moore Jr. to compete for the starting spots.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is known to have his rookies sit and learn before putting them in the lineup. He did that with Jones last season, who did not get a chance to play until Chukwuma Okorafor was benched. It seemed that he was doing the same with Fautanu this season.
However, all three tackles had been working through some minor injuries, and Jones seemed to struggle to find his footing. He had some struggles during the preseason, and then, in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos, Tomlin pulled Jones from the lineup after a series of major errors. Fautanu came in for him and played remarkably well, but later suffered his own significant injury.
It was announced that Fautanu would likely be out for the remainder of the regular season while he deals with that knee injury. That thrust Jones back into the lineup against the Los Angeles Chargers and then the Indianapolis Colts. His performance doesn't seem as consistent as it did when he played last season.
Former Steelers offensive guard Trai Essex recently joined 93.7 The Fan's Morning Show. He was asked what he thinks about Jones' play. The show's host, Adam Crowley, said that while no one wants to see a teammate be injured, Jones has been handed his spot on the team back to him, and only he can decide what to do with it.
"I think he played better against the Chargers," acknowledged Essex. "I think everybody saw that. He had an attitude, a chip on his shoulder, coming out with something to prove. He's been reading the criticism and I think he's taking it to heart. I think he took a step back in this Colts game. I think it's getting to him, the criticism and all the noise, talking about how poor he's played. He has to clean some stuff up. We need him."
Essex pointed out that Jones was lined up across from the Colts' backup defensive end, Dayo Odeyingbo, and still struggled with him. He said Odeyingbo was able to get pressure on quarterback Justin Fields, including a sack and a half.
According to Essex, Jones looked better against the Chargers than he did against the Colts. He believes Jones is letting all the outside noise and criticism get in his head. He thinks this is part of why Jones is drawing costly penalties and making mistakes. He pointed out Jones' hit in the Colts game that should have been a penalty. He said Spencer Anderson came in late, and Jones was even after him. Jones is a critical part of this offensive line, and with so many young members, the team cannot afford for him to get in his own way.
Steelers' Offensive Line Suddenly Got Much Younger
The Steelers' offensive line has lost most of its veteran members so far this season. It all started with Nate Herbig's preseason injury. Then, the quiet, lead-by-example leader Isaac Seumalo, suffered a pectoral injury and has been out. This has meant that Anderson and rookie Mason McCormick would rotate filling in.
However, before that could really happen, James Daniels, the most veteran member of this offense and arguably one of the best linemen on the roster, went out with a torn Achilles during the Colts game. This has forced all of these young players to step up.
They've all heard Tomlin talk about the "next man up" and know that a team is only as good as its weakest link -- and none of them want to be that. The Steelers will face the Dallas Cowboys during Week 5, and their defense will put this young group to the test.
