He had three years to figure things out with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but Broderick Jones just never solved his woes. For one reason or another, the former first-round pick, whom the team traded up to draft, never developed with the club. A lot of his failures should be an indictment against the Steelers, but the offensive tackle just appears to be a player on a path out of the NFL.
Despite having a strong reputation for drafting talent, Omar Khan has laid some eggs recently. The 2023 draft class was one of the best in recent memory for the Steelers, but Jones will leave a stain on its reputation moving forward. After the team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys before the 53-man roster deadline, the team admitted failure and decided to take a gamble.
He was just never able to overcome the pressures of being a first-round pick.
After failing to become a stable right tackle, many thought the young player would finally catch on by shifting back to left tackle. It was a position he played during his college career at Georgia, but sadly, that transition didn't go as planned. Jones was one of, if not the worst. starting offensive tackles in the NFL over the past couple of years.
Pittsburgh Steelers' Broderick Jones trade provides a smart gamble with the potential to sour
Trade Grade for the Pittsburgh Steelers: B
For those in Dallas who think their team got off as winners of this trade, you should be careful. Yes, Jones is a player who could still have some untapped potential, but he is still behind the eight ball. Since coming back from his neck injury, he has been working his way back into football shape. The issue is that his peak condition is still light for an offensive tackle in this league.
Although he has the possibility of becoming a better player in a new setting with the Cowboys, his chances of succeeding remain low.
The Steelers did their best to fix him, and even though they failed him in many instances, Jones didn't do himself any favors. He had plenty of chances to take hold of a starting spot with the team, but he could never harness his potential.
Overall, the Steelers come out of this trade looking fairly good in a trade that was unexpected. In reality, they got back the sixth-round pick that they gave up in the George Pickens trade and moved up a chunk of picks in the upcoming 2027 NFL Draft. That is solid value for a player who was on the fringes of your roster.
This is a move that could eventually age poorly for Pittsburgh if Jones ever figures things out in Dallas.
Again, no one within the Cowboys organization should anticipate Jones as being more than a swing tackle. He can get bullied fairly easily, and it will continue to hinder his game because of the size he plays at. With all that being said, if all he needed was a change of scenery to turn things around, then moving Jones in this trade could become something that haunts the Steelers.
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