Broderick Jones was drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to be the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise left tackle. But for whatever reason, the Steelers seem hell-bent on keeping him from being just that.
After consecutive poor performances in the 2024 preseason, fans are hitting the panic switch on the former Bulldog. In both games, particularly against Buffalo when he gave up two third-down sacks to Greg Rousseau, Jones' technique has appeared to completely regress.
Nonetheless, Jones was considered a raw prospect out of college, having only started one full season for the Bulldogs. It was his physical tools that made him a first-round prospect, not necessarily his skills and technique.
In that regard, it was understandable that the Steelers allowed Jones to slowly progress throughout his rookie season. But the patience of Steelers fans is being tested not only by the former first-round pick but by the coaching staff as well.
Jones played exclusively on the left side at Georgia but has primarily worked at right tackle for the Steelers. Fans and analysts alike have long questioned the decision to cross-train Jones, especially with Dan Moore Jr.'s struggles throughout his career.
Still, with all of the time Jones has spent working at right tackle, it's justified to be frustrated at his performance. There isn't much room for the excuse of playing out of position at this stage.
Steelers must play Broderick Jones exclusively at left tackle
It's clear now, even in the preseason, that this experiment with working Jones at right tackle has been an abject failure. As a player who needed to grow his skillset, the Steelers coaching staff's insistence to swap him back and forth has stunted his growth.
In his rookie season, Jones took his lumps playing on the right side but largely was successful as a punishing run blocker growing in his pass protection. While he did stumble more as he took over the right tackle position, fans were excited to see him swap back to his natural position, especially with the addition of fellow first-round tackle Troy Fautanu.
Fautanu appears to have the right tackle spot locked up, and Moore doesn't appear to be in jeopardy of losing his spot on the left side.
So now the Steelers have a first-round swing tackle who isn't refined enough in his technique to properly fill in on either side. Social media has often called it coaching malpractice and based on early results this preseason, they don't seem quite as over-reactive as they once did.