Broderick Jones to Start for Steelers for Immediate Future
The Steelers will start rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones for the foreseeable future following an injury that will keep Dan Moore Jr. out for multiple weeks, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. Jones will start on Sunday against the Ravens for the first time in his career.
Head coach Mike Tomlin liked what he saw from Jones in his first extended action against the Houston Texans. Jones will start at left tackle with Chuks Okorafor at right tackle, while Spencer Anderson and Dylan Cook are the backups at tackle in case of another injury.
“I think he’s been practicing really well,” Tomlin said. “I feel really good about what he’s done to tee up his performance from a practice perspective, the urgency he has, the quality of that play. He’s gotten his feet wet now. I thought the quality of his play improved over the course of the game. Oftentimes, when you get inserted into a game like that, you have to get on a moving train. You feel some of that, that was evident, he gave up pressure on his snap. But I thought he got better throughout and I think it’s reasonable to expect him to be reasonably solid with a week’s prep.”
In his first extended in-game action, Jones was tagged with three pressures and one quarterback hit. However, he was not charged with any sacks allowed, including the fourth-down play that injured Kenny Pickett. Pickett got charged with all three Texans sacks on him.
Jones has played just four snaps in the NFL before this when Chuks Okorafor suffered an injury at the end of the team’s game against the San Francisco 49ers before entering against the Texans. Moore has been graded as one of the worst tackles in football by Pro Football Focus, with calls for Jones clamoring in recent weeks. However, after an up-and-down preseason from the Georgia product, the Steelres have guarded their rookie left tackle early in his career. Now, Jones will have an opportunity to show the Steelers what he can do with Moore banged up.
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