There comes a time when a top draft pick runs out of chances with the team that drafted him, and that time is long past due for Broderick Jones' shot of sticking with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jones was general manager Omar Khan's first-ever draft pick. Since trading up to the 14th overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft to select the Georgia product, Khan no doubt wanted to give Jones every opportunity to prove himself.
But not only has Jones fallen short of early expectations; he's reached the point where he may not even deserve so much as a spot on the roster.
In bizarre fashion, Jones somehow found a way to show practically no improvement from the time the Steelers selected the raw offensive tackle out of Georgia. Upon entering the league, Jones needed loads of work when it came to his mechanics, hand technique, and even his stance. Sadly, the Steelers have been working with him for three-and-a-half years now, and he's made no progress.
The Pittsburgh Steelers finally need to pull the plug on the Broderick Jones experiment
To Jones' credit, he did suffer a serious neck injury in November last year, which required spinal fusion surgery to repair. Fans were surprised to see that he avoided the PUP list and did not miss training camp action. This was no doubt an unfortunate setback for a player looking to redeem himself on the football field.
Because of this, we could have assumed that it would take some time for Jones to put some muscle back on and build up his strength. But Jones isn't just losing with power rushes; he's losing due to his cringeworthy lack of foot quickness and technique.
In the Steelers' second preseason game against the New York Jets, head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive line coach James Campen put Jones to the test by keeping him on the field for a whopping 54 snaps of exhibition action. Despite playing early in the contest through late in the game, Jones was humiliated by opposing pass rushers from beginning to end.
It started with an early sack allowed against Jets' first-round pick David Bailey. While it looked like there was room for Will Howard to step up on the pocket and avoid the sack, this was an ugly rep for Jones. Then, late in the game against third-string players and guys who aren't going to make NFL rosters, Jones looked just as bad. In total, he allowed two pressures and a pair of sacks.
And as an offensive lineman, you're only as good as the 2-3 worst plays you allow... and Broderick's worst 2-3 plays per game are always egregious.
This performance came after a despicable outing against the Green Bay Packers. In Week 1 of the preseason, Jones played late in the game against scrubs and allowed a sack and two pressures on 28 pass block reps while earning a pedestrian 52.2 pass block grade from Pro Football Focus ($).
Now that 2026 first-round pick Max Iheanachor is returning to action, there's even more incentive to part ways with Jones. While projected starting right tackle Dylan Cook has struggled at times this preseason, Iheanachor—not Jones—will be the player the team calls on if Cook struggles or goes down with an injury.
This means, at best, Jones is the fourth offensive tackle in line for offensive reps on the team. Because of this, we are likely looking at a player who would be a healthy scratch on game day. If he ever has to get to see the field on offense, the Steelers can't trust him to hold up on his assignment on any given play.
There's no question that we can safely label Broderick Jones a bust entering his fourth NFL season, having made little to no improvements. At some point, his first-round label no longer matters, and it's finally time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to cut bait with Omar Khan's first major draft bust.
Add us as a preferred source on Google