Back in the spring, Steelers OT Broderick Jones talked about dropping weight, and so far, he has kept it off. Making the move from right tackle to left, he is trying to maximize his chances of succeeding. While he didn’t plan to slim down, necessarily, saying he was prepared to add back muscle, he has so far maintained the lower weight.

“It’s easier to put on weight than to lose weight”, Jones told Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. At the end of the spring, though, he seemed conflicted about putting the weight back on. After weeks of work, he seemed to like playing at the lower weight.

Still, Broderick Jones would not indulge in the typical offseason clichés, keeping his weight in perspective. “That’s always tough, just because getting back into football shape”, he said, when asked essentially if he is in the best shape of his life, via Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“Going from offseason back into camp, here in Latrobe with this heat, it’s hard to predict”, Jones added. “I feel like I’m in pretty good shape. But you never know until the real deal comes, which is Tuesday, when the pads come on”.

The Steelers selected Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft with the intent of making him their franchise left tackle. In his first two seasons, he failed to unseat Dan Moore Jr., instead playing on the right side. Now on the left, and with a more professional attitude, the Steelers hope, the time may be right.

All is not sunshine and roses so far, however, as Broderick Jones has had some lapses to start camp. “It hasn’t been a great two days” in pass protection, Alex Kozora noted in his training camp practice report yesterday. “Had trouble with the Steelers’ talented outside linebackers. Had an ugly rep yesterday and a tough one day against [Nick] Herbig”.

The Steelers have two more days of practice until an off day on Monday. When they return on Tuesday, as Broderick Jones noted, they will put the pads on for the first time. At that point, he will get a better feel for where his weight needs to be. And the coaching staff will get a better feel for where he is in his development.

While he is going into his third season, Jones is also still young, turning 24 in May. He still has every opportunity to turn his career around—not that it has been terrible. But as a former first-round pick, he has not lived up to his promise thus far.

He may not be the most important player for the Steelers this season, but he’s up there. Aaron Rodgers will determine how far the Steelers can go. But whether Broderick Jones can block for him may determine how far Rodgers can take them. So he’d better figure out in short order whether he needs to start upping his steak orders.