Broderick Jones trade
Broderick Jones trade
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ trade of veteran offensive tackle Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys Saturday evening was rather surprising, considering the importance of depth and versatility along the offensive line.
Yet the Steelers received high marks for the trade, landing a 2027 third-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick — Pittsburgh’s own original sixth rounder traded away in the George Pickens trade — from Dallas for Jones and 2027 fourth-round pick.
ESPN’s Ben Solak gave the Steelers a “B” grade in his trade grades piece, while giving the Cowboys a “B-” overall.
“The Steelers got a solid return for a player they could have feasibly cut on Sunday — that’s always good business on cut-down day,” Solak writes of the Steelers’ trade. ” Though, it is a little scary to walk into Week 1 with poor tackle depth behind Iheanachor and left tackle Troy Fautanu, both of whom have injury histories.”
After watching Jones play 140 snaps in the preseason and struggle at both left and right tackle, particularly in pass protection, as he works his way back from offseason spinal fusion surgery, the Steelers felt it was time to move on from the former first-round pick.
Jones was surprisingly cleared to practice at the start of training camp, avoiding opening camp on the Active/PUP list. While it was good to see him back on the field, it was clear he had a long road back in front of him. He appeared under weight, and then his play strength was a real concern in preseason action.
That lack of play strength was evident as he lacked any real punch in pass protection and found himself struggling against undrafted rookie free agents late in preseason games.
The renowned Nate Lynn, a 2024 UDFA out of
powerhouse William & Mary, versus Broderick Jones, a former first round pick out of Georgia. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/xqI8qS0nVV
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 22, 2026
Now, the Steelers have moved on, recouping some value for a guy they might have cut outright.
The trade does leave the Steelers a bit thin from a depth perspective behind left tackle Troy Fautanu and whomever wins the right tackle battle between Dylan Cook and rookie first-round pick Max Iheanachor. The Arizona State product has only played right tackle, while Cook can be the true swing tackle coming off the bench. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers look to add depth following final cuts.
As for the Cowboys, the trade is a gamble. Jones really struggled in the preseason under a new coaching staff, and now he has to learn a new system and an entirely new team on the fly while hopefully shoring up depth.
“Ostensibly, Jones is better on the right and has a better path to reps on the right … but the recent film and injury history is scary to buy into, no matter the side,” Solak added.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones stated after the preseason finale that the Cowboys would be aggressive in search of upgrading depth, and they were certainly aggressive here trading for Broderick Jones. He’s a high-end talent, considering he is a former top 15 draft pick just four years ago.
We’ll see if a chance to set his career in Dallas is the change of scenery he needs in a contract year.