The Pittsburgh Steelers offense is going to go how the offensive line goes. If that group comes together quicker than expected, there’s legitimate optimism that this unit could look a good bit better than it did for much of the past two seasons. It’s reasonable to expect rookies such as Troy Fautanu and Zach Frazier to insert themselves into the lineup sooner rather than later. But you can make a pretty convincing argument that the biggest piece to this puzzle as it relates to 2024 is second-year tackle Broderick Jones.
As expected, Jones’ rookie campaign was uneven, which is the expectation for the offensive tackle position. Very few of them, even the early round guys, come straight into the league from college and just light the world on fire. From the jump, Jones made an impact in the run game, especially as a puller in space, where you saw his athleticism pop and some thunderous jolts on contact. Their rushing attack really took off with him in the fold, averaging 4.6 yards per attempt with him on the field compared to 3.7 yards per attempt with him on the bench, according to SIS.
But the struggles in pass protection, particularly down the stretch, were a very real thing. The necessary context was that Jones was switching positions to the right side for the first time while being pretty raw from a technical standpoint coming out of college. This was a player that didn’t play a ton of snaps at Georgia, only starting 19 games, all of which came at left tackle.
The weaknesses that SEC rushers couldn’t expose, came to light against better competition. His hand placement was often erratic with him leaning on two hand punches more frequently than his coaching staff would’ve probably preferred. He would occasionally be caught drifting in his set or turning his shoulders prematurely, allowing for defenders to capture the inside track. Despite how gifted he is as an athlete, there were also times where he just wasn’t hitting his landmarks in his drop, which was likely the cause of working off inverse footwork on the right side.
It wasn’t perfect but getting Jones on the field was the best thing for the team. Throughout the offseason, general manager Omar Khan clearly stated that the organization viewed him as a franchise left tackle but didn’t commit on a timetable when it came to getting him over there. During the spring, he received a good amount of reps over on the left side, but also worked on the right side as well because Dan Moore Jr. has been adamant that he just isn’t comfortable there.
In Latrobe, Jones has rarely been seen on the left side with almost all of his reps coming at right tackle. You can argue that this isn’t the best fit for him as a player. However, the most frustrating part is that Jones isn’t playing there in order to get Fautanu reps at left tackle. It’s Moore who is getting the nod as the quarterbacks blind side protector and his performance last season simply doesn’t warrant that decision.
After drafting Fautanu in the first round, the big debate was who should play left tackle. To me, the biggest thing was allowing both players to work at one position moving forward. No matter what, someone was going to be forced to play a position. My biggest request was that both guys should be allowed to work at one position moving forward in hopes of creating repeatable mechanics and feel for their respective positions.
Instead, Jones is still primarily playing right tackle and could be the “swing tackle” in the event they need one. So, in the event that Fautanu shows rapid growth to the point where they can no longer keep him sidelined, Jones would then likely shift to the left side. The problem is very simple: he’s hardly practiced there this offseason.
There’s no denying that Jones is immensely talented and in the NFL, that trumps everything else, including less than ideal situations. But it doesn’t feel like the Steelers are doing themselves or Jones any favors with this approach. There’s too much at stake here and the repercussions of this decision could have both short and long-lasting effects.
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