Broderick Jones isn’t anything special yet, but he’s showing some steady improvement as the 2025 season rolls along. Jones has been as reliable as it gets at left tackle, playing every single offensive snap this year.
However, he finds himself on the injury report this week, dealing with a groin issue. Speaking after practice Thursday, via Steelers.com, Jones mentioned that it’s a familiar injury.
“Yeah, pretty much, basically,” Jones replied when asked if it was the same issue he dealt with during training camp.
Losing Jones would be a pretty tough loss for the Steelers. The offensive line had a tall task going into the season with a 41-year-old quarterbacking the unit, and the line certainly didn’t get off to the best of starts. Jones, especially, as he allowed three sacks in the season opener. However, the unit has been much more reliable lately. That’s partially due to its stability. Jones, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Troy Fautanu have all remained healthy for the most part, which is certainly a luxury.
Jones didn’t practice at all on Wednesday, but practiced in a limited fashion on Thursday, which is a good sign. He spoke about the level of intensity he practiced with as he tries to get healthy for Sunday’s game.
“I pretty much was able to do everything,” Jones said. “I just wasn’t in probably as much.”
The Cincinnati Bengals are one of the worst teams in recent memory defensively, so it’s not a daunting task ahead of Jones and the offensive line this week. However, the Steelers could really use him getting healthy. They were already down one starter on the left side last week with Isaac Seumalo out. The Steelers started Andrus Peat in his place, but had to ditch that idea after a quick false start and some mediocre play afterward.
Fortunately, Seumalo was also a limited participant this week. A limited practice on Thursday is usually a good sign with an injury designation. It supports the notion that both Seumalo and Broderick Jones will suit up. That would be excellent news for a Steelers’ offense that desperately needs to bounce back.
However, Jones’ groin could be something to monitor. Those issues can be difficult to eradicate. That’s evidenced by Jones dealing with the same injury that caused him to miss many practices back in August. The Steelers need him to be healthy, but can’t afford to rush him back and reaggravate the injury.
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