The Pittsburgh Steelers showed just how concerned they were about Broderick Jones when they selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor with the No. 21 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Just three years after making Jones their 14th overall selection, the 2023 first-round pick is already on thin ice.
Now, there's even more reason to be concerned about Broderick.
If suffering an injury setback in his recovery from spinal fusion surgery didn't raise enough questions, now we're hearing that Jones has lost a ton of weight. Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan recently discussed the weight concerns surrounding Broderick, noting that he's notably lighter than he was in 2025.
"We talked to Broderick Jones, and he's lost a bunch of weight. I asked him about the emotions of dealing with this and he kinda paused for a second and you could feel it. Like, man I was a kind of a happy-go-lucky dude, and I don't know what my future is."
The Pittsburgh Steelers have another major Broderick Jones problem
While some offensive linemen struggle to keep weight off, Jones has struggled to keep weight on. In 2025, the former Georgia product showed up to camp at just 305 pounds. The lack of mass was reflected in struggles on the field, as Jones had difficulty anchoring against power in the preseason and early in the year.
And if Jones looks even lighter this year, fans have to wonder exactly what he's weighing in around these days.
You always want to see offensive linemen get bigger and stronger when they enter the NFL, not the other way around. It stands to reason that, because of Jones' neck surgery, he was unable to lift weights for an extended period. This is no doubt attributed to his loss of muscle mass.
At the 2023 NFL Draft, Jones weighed 311 pounds. By this stage of his career, we would have loved to see him in the 320-325-pound range. Instead, Hathhorn's recent comments make it sound like Broderick could be sitting shy of 300 pounds—and there's no starting tackle in the league who can hold up at that size these days.
Quite frankly, offensive linemen need more sand in their pants and quality mass overall to stall bull rushes and hold their own against uber-athletic edge rushers who convert speed to power. This is something that Jones struggled with last year, and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.
Now, not only does Broderick need to work on making a full recovery from spinal fusion surgery, but he also has to work on building his muscle mass from the ground up.
If it wasn't telling enough for Jones' career path in Pittsburgh that the Steelers drafted a pair of offensive linemen in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, the latest report should have fans beyond worried about his chances of making an impact in a contract year.
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