The Pittsburgh Steelers may have just found their franchise offensive tackle. Rookie Broderick Jones has begun to see more playing time recently, as he could start his second consecutive contest on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. His on-field performance has been impressive, but it seems like he's bringing some old school mentality back to Pittsburgh as well.
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The Steelers seemingly found their cornerstone franchise offensive tackle in the form of Broderick Jones out of Georgia.
A clip went viral from the Week 9 contest that showed Jones and Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin interacting on the sidelines. It's clear the 2023 first-rounder has a good head on his shoulders, and he may quickly become a fan favorite in Pittsburgh because of it. When speaking to reporters on Thursday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Jones made it clear that he still expects more from the run game.
"Honestly, for me, I don't feel like that's good enough for me. I came from Georgia, we were big on running the football. I wanna be 200+ every time, that's just me. I know that it's the NFL level, but you know if we gonna commit to the run game, we gotta do it all the way."
The run game had their best performance of the season against the Tennessee Titans, as they averaged 5.5 yards per carry for 166 yards on the night. That's a solid 34 yards shy of Jones' weekly target for the team. Jaylen Warren continues to be impressive as a complementary option to Najee Harris, as he was able to rack up 88 rushing yards on just 11 carries in the victory.
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Steelers backup running back Jaylen Warren warms up on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 preseason game in Pittsburgh, PA.
Jones played with multiple dynamic tailbacks at Georgia, most notably James Cook of the Buffalo Bills. Georgia typically prides themselves on establishing the run game, which seems to be where Jones got some of his mindset from. Albeit in limited action, the rookie offensive tackle has excelled in the run game in his first season in the NFL. That's despite the fact that the team has yet to figure out a long-term solution for which side he will play.
Will The Steelers Keep Rookie On Right Side For The Future?
Coming into the league, he was viewed as a blindside left tackle. When the Steelers drafted him, given the fact that Dan Moore Jr. wasn't great in his first two seasons, it seemed like that was where Jones would play. That held true for the first two months of the season, although Jones was on the bench for the most part. He filled in for Moore when the Texas A&M product was forced to miss the Baltimore Ravens contest.
For disciplinary reasons though, Chukwuma Okorafor was benched, and it's forced the team to switch Jones to the right side. The only other option on the roster would have been Dylan Cook, who hasn't seen a snap in the NFL. While the team loves the upside of Cook, they aren't confident to throw him into the fire just yet. Recently, the coaching staff admitted that they felt way more comfortable with Moore at left tackle as opposed to the right side.
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Steelers right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor remains in the doghouse ahead of Week 10.
While also speaking to the media, Jones did say that he's been getting first-team reps this week. Earlier in the week, Okorafor admitted that he thinks the rookie will get the start for the second consecutive week. It remains mysterious as to what the veteran said and/or did to warrant a benching. Regardless, it has given the Steelers a way to get their rookie first-rounder onto the field.
How do you think the rookie has done in two starts thus far? Do you think the team should/will keep him on the right side for the future? Who should the team get rid of this offseason: Moore or Okorafor? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
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