Broderick Jones
Broderick Jones
Broderick Jones is on a long road back to recovery from a severe neck injury, but his practice opponents see his progress. Having been limited before training camp, he continues to knock off the better part of a year’s worth of rust. But if you ask the outside linebackers he faces, they’ll tell you that he is still the same talented tackle.
After a shaky performance on Friday, during which he worked more at right tackle, Broderick Jones had a bounceback practice under the lights. As many have noted, he stood out in particular in limited one-on-one drills. “Best rep of the drill”, Alex Kozora noted in his report, after he tossed Nick Herbig. Elsewhere he added, “That’s key for his confidence”.
A first-round pick in 2023, Jones has had an up-and-down career. Injuries have only been a part of it, playing through various ailments in 2024. He saw his 2025 season cut short due to the neck injury from which he continues to work his way back. Down 10 to 15 pounds, he is trying to bulk up while working simultaneously. But each day, he takes another step forward.
“Broderick was a first-round pick for a reason”, Brooke Pryor quoted Herbig saying of Jones, both of whom entered the league in the same class. “Guy’s got all the talent in the world. He has all the intangibles. He’s got the physicality for it. And it’s just a matter of feeling confident again, coming back from injury like that. But I know that he can do it. I’ve seen it firsthand”.
The question is, of course, whether there is a job open for him. The Steelers have shifted Troy Fautanu over to left tackle, which appears to be a permanent move. Right now, they are working Jones on both sides. In Saturday’s practice, for example, he played left with the second team and right with the third.
But at right tackle, you have Dylan Cook trying to fend off rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor. While initially appearing somewhat uncertain of himself, the rookie shined in the first couple of padded practiced. Suffering a minor injury setback, he should return shortly.
Broderick Jones, meanwhile, is entering the final year of his contract. It’s possible that he faces free agency coming off a year in which he is a backup—indeed, that is the most likely scenario. Time is running out for him to make his move, but there is still a chance.
The Steelers still have three preseason games to play. If Jones is the best right tackle of the group, then there would be no reason for them not to start him. He’ll have to readjust to moving back to the right after starting on the left last year, but it beats sitting on the bench. And perhaps nobody will be able to assess who is ahead in the competition better than Herbig and his peers.