When Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan made the declaration this offseason that Broderick Jones would be moving back to left tackle, fans were pleased. Many assumed that Jones would be best back on his more 'natural' side of the offensive line, where he played at Georgia. Sadly, that hasn't been the case.
Though the first four days of training camp practice, Jones struggled just like he did last summer... and the summer before that. The 2023 first-round pick had a few padless reps that were so ugly, they started going viral on social media.
Media members who have been on the field since the start of training camp practices painfully admit that Jones' performance early in the Steelers' 2025 training camp have been ugly. Now things just went from bad to worse.
On Sunday, Jones left practice early with what head coach Mike Tomlin later labeled a 'soft tissue' injury. Jones is listed as day-to-day with the ailment. These things happen, but Jones feels like the last player who can afford to miss valuable practice reps right now.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must see Broderick Jones on the field and major improvements by the start of the season
When reports surfaced during offseason workouts that Broderick Jones had cut weight and looked like a different player, fans were optimistic that this was a good sign of things to come. Even with his downright dismal low points over the past two seasons, fans were willing to give the first-round pick the benefit of the doubt. So far, he hasn't given anyone a single reason to feel confident.
At 6'5 3/8'' with long arms and impressive athletic testing, we would assume that Jones would look like a great athlete on the field. However, the third-year offensive tackle still looks slow from the snap and is late off the ball. These are things that must be cleaned up by Week 1.
Unfortunately, it's hard to make improvements if you're not on the practice field. As the Pittsburgh Steelers get set for the longest stretch of training camp practices in a row without a break, Jones is nursing a soft tissue injury.
The only good news here is that Jones has some terrific spawning partners. Teryl Austin seems to be more willing to move T.J. Watt around the defensive formation this year, and Jones has had reps against Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Nick Herbig. These impressive edge rushers each test Jones with a unique skill set that should, in theory, get him prepared for the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans are losing hope that Broderick Jones will become anything more than a serviceable starter at this point, and even that's not guaranteed. One thing is for sure: the young left tackle can't afford to miss practice reps. Jones needs to get back on the field as soon as possible if he wants a chance to avoid the dreaded 'bust' label this season.