The Pittsburgh Steelers' roster is going to look slightly different during the 2025 season, especially on the offensive side of the football. Najee Harris is not expected to be back at running back, while some major shifts are expected to be seen on the offensive line. The main change is going to be at left tackle, as Dan Moore Jr. has been the primary starter there for the last four seasons. He is scheduled to become a free agent, but his inconsistent play over the years does not match with the new contract he may command.
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Steelers' Dan Moore Jr. gets ready to block Bengals' Trey Hendrickson during Week 13 of the 2024 season on the road.
Moore is not expected to be back in Pittsburgh, which means Broderick Jones might finally be able to play the position he was drafted to play. Jones was a left tackle in college, but he has been forced to play mainly right tackle throughout his first two seasons in the league. This was due to the benching of Chukwuma Okorafor in 2023 and the injury to Troy Fautanu in 2024. Fautanu is expected to be the starter at right tackle as he will be fully healthy before the 2025 season, but Robert Mays of The Athletic Football Show suggests the Steelers may want to bring some competition in for Jones on the left side.
"I think someone is going to talk themselves into the Jed Wills reclamation project," Mays proclaimed. "He's been banged up, he played left tackle for the Browns, he played right tackle in college. He has a big time pedigree, does somebody take a swing on him? The team I was thinking about, and they would play him at left tackle, but I think the Steelers are going to want to add some sort of competition for Broderick Jones at left tackle. Somebody to push him, that would be a low-cost option."
Jedrick Wills Jr. is a former first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns. He has played for the Browns for five seasons, although he has struggled with injuries throughout his professional career. Over the last two seasons, he has only started in 12 contests, and the writing is on the wall for him to end up in a new city in 2025.
Wills would be a cheap option, and he obviously has the talent to have been a first-round selection in the past. A change of scenery may be all he needs, and the Steelers could give him that for roughly $2 million in 2025 according to Spotrac. The former first-round pick should be the perfect amount of competition for Jones as he returns to his natural position. Pittsburgh traded up and selected Jones with the 14th overall pick in 2023, so the organization wants to see some better results out of him immediately. Adding some competition like Wills could help make that happen.
Jones has only been able to play significant snaps at left tackle during one game so far in his career in Pittsburgh, and it was one of his better games as a professional. The offensive line should see an upgrade with him on the left side, and Fautanu returning to full health at right tackle.
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Offensive tackle Broderick Jones walks off the field after a 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers' game.
Steelers Have Neglected Broderick Jones
Jones has not had much consistency throughout his career in Pittsburgh, but some of that has been outside of the team's control. Moore never had the confidence to switch sides and Jones was stuck on the right side throughout the second half of his rookie season in 2023.
After Pittsburgh selected Fautanu in the first round of the 2024 draft, it was assumed that he would play right tackle while Jones went back to his natural position on the left. That never happened thanks to Fautanu suffering a season-ending injury ahead of Week 3. Jones' career at left tackle has been put on hold for two years, but now the fan base will likely finally be able to see what Jones can do in his natural role.
What do you think of the Steelers bringing in competition for Jones? Let us know in the comments below!
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