Broderick Jones Omar Khan
Broderick Jones Omar Khan
When Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan took over as the new man in charge of the historic franchise ahead of the 2022 season, he did so after the draft, which saw former GM Kevin Colbert try and leave his stamp on the franchise with the first-round selection of quarterback Kenny Pickett.
That didn’t go well, ultimately, and it put Khan in position to try and improve a poor offensive line in front of the hopeful franchise quarterback. In his first draft as GM of the Steelers, alongside assistant GM Andy Weidl, Khan showed what was to come for the Black and Gold by trading up in the first round and investing in the offensive line with Georgia’s Broderick Jones.
Since then, Khan has placed a major emphasis on the offensive line, drafting tackles Troy Fautanu and Max Iheanachor in the first round in two of the last three years, while also landing the likes of Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, Spencer Anderson and Gennings Dunker up front.
Time and time again, Khan has talked about the importance of the big men up front compared to the skill guys on the perimeter when it comes roster building philosophies. He’s hit more than he’s missed with that mindset, but thanks to Saturday night’s trade of Jones to the Dallas Cowboys, his first-ever draft pick unfortunately goes down as a clear bust.
Moving up for Jones was a risk, especially after they flipped No. 17 overall and No. 120 overall to the New England Patriots to jump the New York Jets and land Jones at No. 14 overall. He had limited starting experience in college at Georgia, and while he was an athletic freak, there were some concerns on tape.
Those concerns with hand usage and consistency ultimately showed up, but it isn’t as if Jones is entirely at fault. He came in as a left tackle, but the Steelers moved him to right tackle as a rookie, leaning on veteran Dan Moore Jr. as the starter on the left side. Though Jones downplayed the challenges of moving to the right side while learning a new scheme, he wasn’t able to beat out Chukwuma Okorafor early in the season, opening his rookie season as a backup.
Jones eventually took over as the starter in Week 9 at right tackle and had some highs and lows. He allowed 29 pressures and four sacks in his rookie season, and though he made an impact in the run game with his physicality and athleticism, he struggled in pass protection.
The same thing happened in Year 2 as he allowed 43 pressures and 10 sacks, finishing second in the NFL in sacks allowed — behind only Moore at left tackle.
Last season the Steelers finally moved Jones back over to left tackle under offensive line coach Pat Meyer, and while he was a mess in the season opener against the Jets allowing three sacks, he found his footing eventually and was playing some good football prior to the neck injury.
That neck injury played a factor in the Steelers drafting Iheanachor in the first-round in April, and while Jones was able to recover and was cleared to play at the start of training camp, he couldn’t get his weight up and really struggled in the preseason. Across 140 snaps, Jones allowed five pressures and three sacks and was struggling in pass protection against undrafted free agents late in games.
He played some left and right tackle in the preseason and never quite found his game. He talked in depth about the challenges flipping back and forth to the left and right side created, and that ultimately might have hindered his development in Pittsburgh. Now, he’s off to Dallas where he gets a chance to try and reset his career, doing so reuniting with former Steelers and Georgia teammate George Pickens.
While Khan seems to have done well in the return, landing a third- and a sixth-round pick in 2027 for Jones and a fourth-rounder, it’s hard to come to grips with the fact that his first-ever draft pick will forever go down as a bust in Pittsburgh. He seems to have done elsewhere in his recent drafts, getting good value with some selections and addressing key holes, but he took a bold, big swing in his first draft and ultimately came up empty.