Broderick Jones opens up about his journey with the Steelers

When the Pittsburgh Steelers trade up in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft to select Broderick Jones out of Georgia, the fan base believed they had found their left tackle of the future.

While Jones might be that left tackle of the future, he certainly has had to be patient with the process of him finally landing as the slated left tackle heading into 2025.

When you think back to Jones’ rookie season, he played just one game at left tackle in the absence of Dan Moore, but played on the right side. His second season saw him in a battle for either tackle spot, and he ultimately was considered the swing tackle when Dan Moore won the left tackle job, and rookie Troy Fautanu won the right tackle job before landing on Injured Reserve (IR) with a knee injury. Now, with Moore gone via free agency, Jones is back to his natural position of left tackle. After Week 1 of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) Jones spoke to media about what it’s like to be back on the left side.

“The first few days have been alright,” Jones maintained following OTA No. 2 last week. “I’m just glad to get back out here with the guys, working on my techniques being back on the left side. So just trying to get back used to everything and just getting that second-hand nature back with everything that’s going on over there, making sure everything’s right in my head, not thinking I’m still on the right side.

“This is a great time for me to just keep building on what I’ve been doing all offseason, my whole life, really, and continue to just get better.”

Jones had been a left tackle at the University of Georgia, and he admitted the journey to this point hasn’t been easy.

“When they initially moved me to right tackle and I played it for so long, and then they tried to make me, like, the swing tackle, it was kinda funky,” Jones continued. “But I knew I would be going back to left (tackle), so this offseason I just tried to focus on nothing but the left side and just continue to work that way just to try and get back the feel of the position.

“Confidence is always high. Being back on the left I feel like it’s a bigger boost for me just because I’ve been used to playing on the left side. Being out here going against people like (outside linebacker) Alex (Highsmith) and Nick (Herbig), it really helps with the confidence level. When you’re able to block guys like that you feel like you can do it at any level versus anybody.”

Getting comfortable is the first step in the process, but learning the opposite side of the playbook is the next step Jones has to check off on his to-do list.

“It’s just like flipping the plays in my head,” he said. “Some of our plays, they’re flip-flopped backwards so you hear them and they might be going one way but it may be called the other way, so staying locked in with the plays and just making sure you know them. You know the plays, you can play at 100 percent.”

Something else Jones was able to talk about what the progress of second year tackle Troy Fautanu. As mentioned earlier, Fautanu missed the vast majority of the 2024 season after a knee injury in practice limited him to just two games. How is he progressing?

“Troy’s good,” Jones reported. “They tried not to push him too much because he’s still trying to work his way back but Troy’s looking amazing.”

Those are great reports for the Steelers on both sides of the offensive line, and the hope is Jones and Fautanu can continue to get comfortable and anchor an offensive line which is just starting its potential legacy together.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the second week of OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp on the horizon.