If healthy, will Broderick Jones be the Steelers’ starting left tackle this season?
The Steelers sounded somewhat more positive about Broderick Jones’ health yesterday than previously, but is he still their starter? Going into his fourth season, he has been a starter for most of his career, but with some caveats. He lost starting battles at left tackle in each of his first two seasons, for example, to Dan Moore Jr.
It wasn’t until Moore left in free agency last year that the Steelers moved Jones to left tackle. Previously, he played on the right side, and he was on the verged of losing that job to Troy Fautanu before the latter injured his knee in 2024.
But the bottom line is Broderick Jones has started a lot of games, though his Steelers season last year ended prematurely. After taking a blow from an opponent, he ended up on IR and eventually had neck surgery.
Word from the Steelers about Broderick Jones’ injury early this offseason were more cautious. Basically, they said they were hoping he could do something in training camp. GM Omar Khan spoke to reporters yesterday, though, and the tone seemed more optimistic.
Let’s assume, then, that the Steelers open training camp and Jones is there, ready to go. So is Dylan Cook, of course, and perhaps even a rookie draft pick. Will Jones, through it all, still end up in the starting lineup?
Cook played well in Jones’ absence at the end of the Steelers’ season a year ago. He had some struggles in their playoff loss, but then again, so did everyone else. And considering he made his NFL debut just weeks earlier, all considered, that’s not too bad.
Assuming Broderick Jones’ health, it’s fair to question what the Steelers’ plans even are. Do they envision an open, or at least two-way competition for the left tackle job? Do they see it as Jones’ to lose, and not Cook’s to win?
Jones is entering the final year of his contract and the Steelers have to decide soon whether to exercise his fifth-year option. It seems very unlikely that they would, but that doesn’t preclude them from working out some other deal. First, however, he has to prove that he is healthy. And then he has to prove that he deserves to be the starting left tackle.
The Steelers exited the playoffs in the first round yet again, a pattern going back to 2017. With seven consecutive postseason losses, and no wins in nearly a decade, they are facing another long, long offseason. No doubt we will see many changes, but none will top Mike Tomlin resigning.
The NFL has crowned its latest champion, but for us and the Steelers, we have been in offseason mode. That’s what happens when the team you cover loses by the middle of January all the time, but you’ve been around, so you know that already. Enjoy the ride, even the turbulence, because it’s the only way we know how to travel anymore.