Steelers' Broderick Jones' "Biggest Problem" Has Been Brought Back To Light

The Pittsburgh Steelers did not look good at all in their 17-0 preseason loss to the New York Jets. Any time the offense had some momentum going, a negative splash play happened that ruined it — whether it was a sack or an interception. It was the kind of game when even though there were a few positive notes, it's really hard to let them be enjoyed. Pittsburgh has a short week prior to the preseason finale, and so many of these problems will be put under a microscope to see how ready the team really is. 

The offensive line seemed to be the biggest concern of the night, as it allowed four sacks with more pressures that led to incompletions. It's hard for young quarterbacks like Will Howard and Drew Allar to develop when they don't have time in the pocket and their internal clocks are forced to get sped up on a regular basis, which is what happened on Friday night.

After the game, insider Ray Fittipaldo detailed exactly what happened in that game with the offensive line: particularly Broderick Jones.

"Broderick Jones got a chance to play with the starters on the second drive of the game and did not have a strong showing," Fittipaldo wrote. "On the first pass attempt of the drive by Howard, Jets edge rusher David Bailey beat him and got a pressure on Howard before he threw a completion to Roman Wilson. Howard wasn’t as lucky when he dropped back to pass a few plays later. On third-and-9, Bailey beat Jones cleanly and sacked Howard to force a Steelers punt."

Jones is battling for the starting right tackle position with Dylan Cook struggling there and first-round rookie Max Iheanachor out due to injury in the first two weeks. His work with the starters showed that he is in no condition to be a starter right now, as he got completely blown away by the second overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He does not appear to be ready to be slotted as a starter currently. 

Fittipaldo continued on about Jones' poor play and explained what's going on with him.

"Late in the game, Jones gave up another sack to backup edge rusher Nate Lynn," Fittipaldo noted. "Many of the same issues that caused Jones to have issues in pass protection before his neck injury remain. His inability to use his hands to keep rushers at bay has been his biggest problem since entering the league."

It didn't matter who Jones was going up against; he was not doing his job well at all. Not only did he lose any realistic chance of being the Week 1 starter, but now he may be fighting for just a chance to make the 53-man roster. If Iheanachor can come back from injury and show some level of quality play as a reserve, the 2023 first-round pick may be looking for a new team. It's unlikely, bu not out of the question. 

Steelers Lost All Progress From Jones' 2025 Season

Allar trying to take all the blame can't hide that Jones' neck injury has affected him poorly. While he was far from elite in 2025, he was making legitimate progress at left tackle. He had progressed to average, and while that's not enough, it was still a good sign after years of subpar play. It showed that if he kept doing what he was doing, he could have eventually found his way in the top-10 discussion at his position.

The neck injury he suffered was extremely unfortunate, but the fact that he bounced back and was never placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list was incredible. It showed great mental strength to come back from a major surgery that quick and get the chance to work with the starters. Unfortunately, it seems like he has to start over with his mechanics, and it may be too late for that.

What do you think about Jones' poor performance in Preseason Week 2? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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