Massive Offseason Story Revolves Around Steelers' Polarizing Player With "No Future Here"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been involved in a ton of headlines throughout the 2026 offseason as there has been a good amount of change and some drama surrounding the organization. The big change obviously came when former head coach Mike Tomlin announced that he would be stepping down from his role, and then Mike McCarthy got hired as the franchise's new leader. There has also been roster turnover, including another long and drawn-out saga involving veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Outside of all of that, something a lot of fans are discussing is the offensive line for the 2026 season and what it might look like.

Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, the offensive line had some clear holes on the left side, but since then the group has been reshuffled along with rookie linemen Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker. Those two will be competing for jobs on the right side at tackle and guard, respectively. Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick are switching to the left side, while Zach Frazier at center will be the only constant. One player that wasn't mentioned was Broderick Jones, who is still recovering from a severe neck injury that cut his 2025 season short.

Jones is in a bit of a tough situation. He is entering a contract year and there is no guarantee that he is going to be cleared by the start of the regular season. He would also need to earn a starting job, which might be hard to do after coming back from a serious injury. Beat writer Mark Kaboly joined 93.7 The Fan on Monday to discuss the former first-round pick.

"I would assume Broderick Jones is going to flip back between left and right," Kaboly said. "If he comes back, if he is healthy. But I would imagine him being more of a left guy, but he has no future here. It's a shame, but he just has no future here. If he's good, someone is going to sign him. If he is bad, someone is going to cut him. It's just an unfortunate situation of when he got hurt, which was when he started to play well. But, you have to move forward like this."

The organization has already turned down Jones' fifth-year option, which means he will be a free agent following the 2026 season. The Steelers have no reason to bring him back, which means this is probably his final season with the black and gold, and he might not even be able to suit up for it.

Jones suffered a neck injury during a loss to the Chicago Bears during the 2025 season, and the injury forced him to miss the rest of the year. The initial reporting behind the injury was a bit bizarre as no one seemed to have any real clarity of what happened, but it was obviously something serious since his status is still up in the air for the 2026 season. Jones has talked to media and reiterated that there is no timeline for his injury.

Pittsburgh traded up in the first round to draft Jones back during the 2023 NFL Draft, and now he is probably going to be playing elsewhere following his rookie deal. 

Steelers Don't Have A Ton Of Options When It Comes To Broderick Jones

The Steelers have drafted two tackles in the first round since drafting Jones, and Dylan Cook also proved he was a very capable starter near the end of the 2025 season. The Steelers don't even really need Jones at this point, but there isn't a team in the NFL that would trade for a guy going into a contract year with recent injury history -- especially when that injury involves the neck. 

Cutting him would bring a dead cap charge while saving very little against the cap, which means Jones beginning the year on the Physically Unable To Perform List (PUP), or something of that nature, is very likely.

What do you think about these comments from Kaboly? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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