The Pittsburgh Steelers emphasized the offensive line during the offseason. Omar Khan and Andy Weidl brought in a top 5 guard in the NFL in Isaac Seumalo to solidify the interior of the offensive line. The Steelers also used a first-round pick on Broderick Jones to bolster the tackle position with the 14th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Associated Press
Steelers first round pick, Broderick Jones.
Teams don’t draft players in the first round to have them sit on the bench. Mark Kaboly, who writes for The Athletic joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Friday to discuss the Steelers rookie tackle. Andrew Fillipponi asked Kaboly after viewing the minicamp what he thought of Jones becoming the starter by opening day.
“It’s going to be difficult,” Kaboly begins. “Unless Broderick Jones comes out and whips butt in training camp, which he could do. I don’t think they want him to do that right now.”
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers tackles Dan Moore Jr. and Chukwuma Okorafor
It is difficult to understand why the coaching staff would not want Jones to be dominant physically in training camp as Kaboly suggests. The Steelers’ tackles last season came on late, but according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Dan Moore Jr. was ranked at number 57 and Chukwuma Okorafor was ranked at number 60 among tackles. The suggestion that the Steelers don’t want their first-round pick to prove they invested wisely is at best farfetched.
“I think you are probably looking at a 75 percent chance Dan Moore is your starting tackle early in the season,” Kaboly continued. “During OTA’s and minicamp, I saw that [Broderick Jones] struggled at times with some speed rushers.”
The Steelers face Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, and Maxx Crosby in the first three weeks of the 2023 season. In fairness, Moore has owned Garrett in their matchups, but with the exception of the Cleveland Browns games, has largely been average. The observation that a veteran tackle who knows exactly where to go in non-contact drills is evidence that he is ahead of Jones is highly suspect. It is almost impossible to evaluate the offensive line in shorts.
USA Today
Steelers' Dan Moore Jr. dominates Browns' Myles Garrett.
“You look at that murderer’s row weeks 1, 2, and 3,” Kaboly said. “Do you want to subject a rookie and Kenny Pickett and that offense to getting off to a bad start because of that? I think that is something that plays into it.”
The Steelers were among the worst-scoring offenses in football in 2022. Najee Harris got off to a horrible start last season and the Steelers turned to Kenny Pickett in game four. The upgrading of the interior line will help, but the left tackle is not the quarterback position. If Jones is more physically talented, he should play immediately. A Matt Canada offense needs all the help it can get.
Associated Press
Steelers' Broderick Jones and offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
“If they had their choice just like last year with Pickett, right or wrong, they would rather he sit for a while and learn. Maybe he does sit half a year. I anticipate him playing at some point this year, I just don’t think it’s going to be the first month of the season,” Kaboly concludes.
Steelers First-Round Pick Broderick Jones Gets Ringing Endorsement From NFL Network Analyst
There is absolute value in having a quarterback sit and learn the most complicated position in professional sports. Jones was compared to Andrew Thomas by NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger before the draft favorably. Thomas preceded Jones at Georgia as the left tackle and started from day one with the New York Giants. Baldinger observed that he believed the incoming rookie is already ahead of the Second Team All-Pro tackle as a player. Even if that is a little bit of hype, if he is at or near an All-Pro tackle, why would he sit behind the Steelers' current options?
There was a time when Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff could bring rookies along slowly. The consistently bad drafts since 2017 are coming back to haunt them. The 2020 draft class (except for Alex Highsmith) is on the fast track out of the NFL. Khan and Weidl have been active for a reason, the Steelers’ depth chart was riddled with holes.
Steelers.com
Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 first-round draft pick Broderick Jones meets with the press for the first time.
Kevin Colbert addressed key positions in the trenches with mid-round draft picks that have not panned out. Unless Khan and Weidl bungled their first draft choice, Jones should be able to prove to the coaching staff in pads why he is in Pittsburgh. Contrary to Mr. Kaboly’s opinion, it is not to watch from the bench.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will you be disappointed if Jones is not on the field against the San Francisco 49ers? Please comment below, or on my Twitter @thebubbasq.
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