The Pittsburgh Steelers arrived at St. Vincent College in Latrobe to begin there first training camp under new head coach Mike McCarthy on Tuesday, and with their arrival came some surprising injury updates.
Star defensive back Jalen Ramsey will unfortunately miss at least a few weeks due to a knee injury, and he will start camp on the PUP list. That was unexpected, but it wasn't all bad on the injury front. Broderick Jones, who has been recovering from a neck injury he suffered last season, was also expected to land on the PUP list to start camp, but that won't be the case.
General manager Omar Khan revealed to the media that Jones has been medically cleared to return to practice, giving the Steelers even more options along their young and talented offensive line. Many believed that the selection of Max Iheanachor in the first round this year meant Jones was done in Pittsburgh, but he has the chance to change that narrative.
Broderick Jones can still be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers plans now that he is cleared to return
While Jones is healthy enough to practice, it's far too soon to speculate where he is physically. Khan himself made it clear that his strength and conditioning are unknown at this point, as his neck injury surely kept him from doing the kind of training he would usually be doing in the offseason.
Still, it's great news for both Jones and the Steelers. Offensive line depth was already a strength heading into camp, and that was without factoring in his potential availability. The former first-round pick may never become the high-level starter the Steelers hoped he would be, but he would be one of the NFL's best swing tackles if he fails to win back a starting spot this summer.
It cannot be overstated how important having options at tackle will be for Pittsburgh this year. Aaron Rodgers' decision to return puts a ton of pressure on the offensive line to be excellent in pass protection. While Jones has had his struggles in that department, it's mostly been a few bad reps that often derail an otherwise solid performance.
I still believe that Dylan Cook has the inside track to be the starter at right tackle, but getting positive injury news on a former 14th overall pick is never a bad thing. Hopefully, Jones can get back up to speed quickly and make an impact at camp.
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