Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan’s tenure has had its ups and downs. However, it didn’t start great in his first draft in that role. The Steelers’ first selection under Khan was Broderick Jones, and they even traded up to take him 14th overall. Jones had a lot of potential, but his time in Pittsburgh has produced mixed results at best.
And analyst Steve Palazzolo isn’t even sure where Jones fits with the Steelers anymore.
“He’s had a rough start to his career,” Palazzolo said recently on his Check the Mic podcast. “Jumped into the right tackle spot as a rookie. I remember, early on, when he went in there, the run game got better, and I think it was coincidental. He was up and down, and it just really hasn’t gotten better, whether he’s playing right tackle, left tackle.
“Struggled in pass protection, been okay as a run blocker at best. We’re at the point now heading into Year 4, I don’t even know if he has a job…I don’t know if there’s a spot for Broderick Jones going forward with the Pittsburgh Steelers after three below-average seasons as a starter most of the time.”
Palazzolo isn’t the only one who is ready to give up on Jones in Pittsburgh, either. On that same podcast, Sam Monson didn’t hold back giving his opinion on the Steelers drafting Jones in 2023.
“Hasn’t worked out well for them at all,” Monson said.
Jones’ struggles might not be all his fault. He was raw coming out of Georgia, and the Steelers didn’t allow him to settle into one position. They flipped him back and forth between left and right tackle, and Jones never seemed to get comfortable at either position.
A neck injury has left Jones’ future in even more doubt, too. As the Steelers’ starting left tackle last year, he got hurt in their Week 12 game against the Chicago Bears and missed the rest of the season. There’s no telling when Jones will return to action, either. Neck injuries can be tricky.
As a result, the Steelers selected offensive tackle Max Iheanachor in the first round of this year’s draft. That seems like the biggest indicator that Jones’ time in Pittsburgh is coming to an end. Troy Fautanu played well last season, so he figures to have one of the starting tackle spots. Iheanachor might not start right away, but he’ll get a shot to compete for the starting job opposite Fautanu.
That leaves Jones without an obvious role. The Steelers declined to pick up his fifth-year option earlier this offseason, leaving him with only one season left on his contract. The door isn’t completely closed on Jones’ Steelers career yet, but it seems unlikely that he’ll be in Pittsburgh for much longer.
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