When offensive tackle Broderick Jones arrived with the Pittsburgh Steelers as a first-round pick in 2023, he was a raw talent with tremendous upside. The Steelers, though, are still waiting for Jones to reach his potential or even become a serviceable starter.
Jones faced significant criticism following his Week 1 performance against the New York Jets. While making his second career start at left tackle, Jones and the Steelers offensive line allowed four sacks Sunday.
Head coach Mike Tomlin strongly acknowledged Jones’ struggles in front of reporters Tuesday.
“Certainly it could be better, but certainly, all of our performances could be better,” Tomlin said. “As I mentioned, our quarterback got hit too much, and he was a component of that.”
However, Tomlin clearly stated he is not worried about Jones’ confidence level and offered a strong explanation as to why.
“Because it’s football. You don’t get to the National Football League by being fragile, emotionally,” Tomlin added. “There’s a lot of confident guys I work with. You win some battles, you lose some battles. That’s just the nature of the men that play this game at this level.”
Broderick Jones’ Week 1 Struggles for Steelers
Steelers general manager Omar Khan has repeated stated to the media over the past couple years that the team drafted Jones to play left tackle. In 2025, Jones will finally have the opportunity to start at left tackle every week because Dan Moore Jr. parted in free agency during the offseason.
With a full offseason to prepare and more NFL seasoning, Jones is expected to be better than he was in his first and second professional seasons. But that wasn’t close to being the reality for Jones in Week 1.
Jones posted a 54.5 Pro Football Focus player grade in the season opener. He struggled the most in pass protection, submitting a 46.8 PFF grade. Jones gave up three of the four sacks the Steelers offensive line allowed during Week 1.
For the performance, Jones received significant criticism in the media.
“Broderick Jones at left tackle just got his ass handed to him by Will McDonald,” said The 33rd Team’s Sam Monson on his podcast.
“That performance left a lot to be desired, and it’s troubling,” former Steelers offensive tackle Trai Essex said, via Steelers Depot. “What makes it the most troubling is the fact that I don’t know how it gets better.”
Mike Tomlin Gives RT Troy Fautanu Similar Assessment
While there aren’t many pundits forecasting much improvement from Jones going forward, Tomlin tried to do his best damage control while holding the left tackle accountable Tuesday.
Tomlin used a question about Steelers right tackle Troy Fautanu to deflect some of the attention away from Jones.
“Just like Broderick, I thought [Fautanu] had some good moments. I thought he could certainly be better,” Tomlin said. “As I mentioned as a collective, we got our quarterback hit too often for my liking. So, we’re back to the lab.”
Fautanu wasn’t perfect. The right tackle allowed two pressures, including a hit on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But he didn’t yield a sack. Fautanu earned a PFF player grade of 69.1 in pass protection, which was third-best among the Steelers starting offensive linemen.
Jones had the worst pass protection and overall grade among the Steelers starting linemen in Week 1.
Jones will have the spotlight on him entering the team’s home opener. But Tomlin clearly hasn’t lost confidence in the young tackle.
