In Week 2 last season, Broderick Jones started a game on the bench for the first time since starting in Week 9 in 2023. With Dan Moore Jr. still at left tackle and Troy Fautanu back, the Steelers wanted to make a change. He admitted at the time that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, and a year later, that’s still true.
“They tried to make me the swing tackle”, Jones told reporters last week, via Mike DeFabo. “It was kind of funky. I knew I’ll be going back to left, so this offseason, I just tried to focus on nothing but the left side”.
The Steelers selected Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, then did the same with Troy Fautanu in 2024. They drafted Jones to start at left tackle, but circumstances precluded that transition until this offseason.
Jones did struggle last season, at least partly due to injuries, though it’s not entirely clear why. One might imagine he dealt with some frustrations over the uncertainty of where he would play. He probably hoped during last offseason that he would move to left tackle. Fautanu’s preseason injury put the brakes on that plan, and then a season-ending injury stopped it cold.
As he told reporters last week, Broderick Jones slimmed down significantly this offseason. Going into his third season, he appears to be taking his job more seriously than ever. Finally where he and the Steelers believe he belongs, it’s up to him to ensure he flourishes at left tackle.
But last year could have gone very differently. Broderick Jones struggled so much in his few snaps in Week 2 that the Steelers had to pull him altogether. They initially planned to rotate him in with Troy Fautanu, but he was too much of a liability.
“If I’m not starting, I really don’t feel like I should be playing”, Jones said after the game. He later added, speaking about the nature of offensive line play, “If somebody is not hurt or something like that, I feel like someone should be able to get in a groove and continue to just play throughout the game”.
While it’s fair to question the Steelers’ decision to try to rotate linemen, Broderick Jones is responsible for his own performance. Had Fautanu not suffered a season-ending injury days after that game, it’s unclear how the year would have gone.
Based on Jones’ comment, it seems he expected to be on the bench, serving as the swing tackle. But would anything else be different now if that had not happened? Sure, Jones would have even less experience than he currently does. But he might have had more in-season work playing left tackle in practice, too. And even he is willing to admit now that left tackle is where he feels more comfortable.
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