Steelers’ Broderick Jones Gets Surprising Lifeline At Right Tackle

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent most of the offseason treating right tackle like a competition between established reserve Dylan Cook and first-round rookie Max Iheanachor. Broderick Jones remains the wild card who could change the entire picture. If the former first-round pick returns healthy from his neck injury, one local analyst believes training camp could give him a legitimate path back into the starting lineup.

Jones enters camp in a much different position than the one Pittsburgh imagined when it traded up to select him 14th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Steelers viewed his athleticism as the foundation of a long-term answer at offensive tackle. Three years later, he is recovering from a serious neck injury, his fifth-year option has been declined, and the organization has already used another premium pick at his position.

The situation looks uncomfortable, but it is not finished. Jones is still only 25 years old and has started 38 regular-season games. He also showed signs of becoming a steadier player before the neck injury ended his 2025 season after 11 starts. The improvement did not erase every concern, but it gave Pittsburgh a better version of Jones than the inconsistent tackle who struggled through much of the previous year.

Christopher Carter returned to that progress during a recent episode. Carter believes the conversation around Jones has become too final before the Steelers have seen what he looks like healthy in training camp.

“If Broderick Jones comes back healthy, he was playing pretty well right when he got hurt… I think he was on pace to be a much better player,” Carter said.

Jones’ health remains the first question. He injured his neck during Pittsburgh’s Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears and missed the final six regular-season games along with the playoff loss. His recovery continued throughout the offseason, while the new coaching staff avoided placing a firm timetable on his return. Training camp will reveal whether he is ready for full-speed work or still needs more time.

A healthy return would immediately make the right tackle competition more complicated. Cook worked with the first-team offense during the spring after playing well when injuries forced him into the lineup late last season. He brings experience in Pittsburgh and gives the staff a dependable option who does not need to be rushed through an adjustment period.

Iheanachor represents the future. The Steelers selected him 21st overall in the 2026 NFL Draft after he did not allow a sack during his final season with the Arizona State Sun Devils. His size, movement ability and natural experience on the right side make him an obvious long-term candidate, but Pittsburgh does not have to start him before he is ready.

Jones offers something between those two options. He has more starting experience than Cook and more NFL development than Iheanachor, but he also carries the most uncertainty. His performance in pads could force the Steelers to reconsider a depth chart that appeared to be taking shape without him.

The position switch would not be new. Jones spent most of his first two NFL seasons at right tackle before moving to the left side in 2025. Pittsburgh’s handling of his development has been debated because he was drafted after playing left tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs, then asked to learn the opposite side early in his career. Returning him to the right would again require an adjustment, but it would place him at the position where most of his NFL snaps have come.

The Steelers have already signaled that Troy Fautanu is expected to move to left tackle after starting every game on the right side last season. That leaves Cook, Iheanachor and potentially Jones competing for the other edge. Pittsburgh’s recent right tackle battle appeared centered on the first two, but Jones can insert himself if his body allows it.

New offensive line coach James Campen has no attachment to the order established by the previous staff. His responsibility is identifying the five linemen who give the offense its best combination. Jones’ draft history will not win him the job, but it should not automatically remove him from the competition either.

Camp will test the parts of Jones’ game that were beginning to improve. He must anchor against power without losing his balance, keep his hands controlled and avoid the technical breakdowns that created pressure in previous seasons. His athleticism has never been the issue. The question is whether the footwork, timing and consistency can finally catch up.

Steelers Can Still Get Value From Their Former First-Round Pick

Jones is entering a contract year without the protection that normally follows a first-round selection. Pittsburgh declined his option, drafted Iheanachor and prepared other players to compete before knowing whether Jones would be available. Nothing about the offseason suggests the Steelers will hand him a starting job.

The same circumstances could create his clearest opportunity. Jones no longer has to carry the expectation of being an automatic cornerstone. He can return, compete and show the new staff what his game looks like after three seasons of NFL experience. Winning the right tackle job would give Pittsburgh a stronger line and give Jones a chance to restore his value before free agency.

The Steelers do not need to force a comeback story. If Jones is limited or inconsistent, Cook and Iheanachor give them other paths. If he returns healthy and resumes the progress Carter saw before the injury, the competition should remain open.

Training camp will decide whether Jones is still part of Pittsburgh’s immediate plans or simply depth behind the next wave. His first-round status no longer guarantees anything. His performance can still change everything.

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