Rapoport: Steelers Are Now Trading Broderick Jones To The Cowboys For Multiple Draft Picks

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially reached the end of the Broderick Jones experiment, and General Manager Omar Khan managed to get meaningful draft capital back before walking away. After weeks of questions about whether the former first-round pick would survive final roster cuts, Pittsburgh is sending Jones to the Dallas Cowboys in a deal that gives both sides a fresh start.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that Jones was being traded to Dallas. The full compensation makes the move even more interesting for Pittsburgh. The Cowboys are sending third- and sixth-round picks to the Steelers in exchange for Jones and a fourth-round selection.

Pittsburgh therefore moves up from the fourth round into the third while also adding another sixth-round pick, which is a respectable return for a player whose role had become increasingly uncertain.

It is a remarkably different ending from where Jones' Steelers career began. Khan traded up from No. 17 to No. 14 in the 2023 NFL Draft to select the Georgia tackle, making Jones the first draft pick of his tenure as Pittsburgh's general manager. At the time, the organization believed his athletic upside could eventually make him a long-term answer at left tackle.

Steelers Finally Move On From Broderick Jones

That future never fully materialized. Jones bounced between right and left tackle throughout his first three seasons, then suffered a serious neck injury late in 2025 that required spinal fusion surgery. Pittsburgh declined his fifth-year option during the offseason, placing even more pressure on the 25-year-old to prove himself once he returned.

The Steelers remained patient with Jones throughout training camp, with the coaching staff repeatedly giving him opportunities on both sides of the line while he worked his way back physically. Pittsburgh's staff had recently stressed that Jones was still trying to regain his old form after the lengthy recovery, but his preseason performances made it difficult to carve out a clear role.

Pittsburgh's decision to select Max Iheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft only complicated the picture. The rookie missed valuable time with neck and shoulder issues of his own, but he returned for the preseason finale and remains a player the Steelers clearly envision becoming part of their future at tackle. Troy Fautanu has also moved to the left side, leaving fewer reasons for Pittsburgh to continue waiting on Jones.

Rather than risk losing Jones for nothing later, Khan found a team willing to bet on his pedigree and remaining upside. Dallas gets a 25-year-old tackle with starting experience, while Pittsburgh turns a fading former first-round investment into an upgrade in draft position and an additional selection.

There is also a familiar face waiting for Jones in Texas. He will reunite with former Steelers teammate George Pickens, whom Pittsburgh also traded to Dallas in 2025. For Jones, a change of scenery could offer the reset his career needs. For the Steelers, the move closes one of the more frustrating chapters of Khan's early tenure while giving the front office something useful in return.

The return also gives Khan a chance to recover some value from a situation that clearly did not develop the way Pittsburgh envisioned. When the Steelers originally went up three spots to draft Jones, they surrendered the 120th overall pick in addition to No. 17 to secure him. Three years later, Pittsburgh is again moving draft capital around, but this time it is turning Jones into a better selection rather than spending one to acquire him.

That becomes even more important when considering the decision the organization had already made on Jones' contract. His declined fifth-year option would have been worth roughly $19.1 million for the 2027 season, a number Pittsburgh clearly was not prepared to guarantee after his injury and uneven development. 

Once that option was declined, Jones entered 2026 with little security beyond the upcoming season. If he was not going to win a starting job, keeping him simply because he had once been a first-round pick would have done little for the Steelers long term.

Instead, Khan chose to move on while another organization was still willing to place value on Jones' talent and draft pedigree. Moving from a fourth-round selection into the third round could give Pittsburgh another legitimate opportunity to add a contributor next April, while the extra sixth-rounder gives the front office additional flexibility. Those picks can be used on players, packaged to move around the board or potentially included in another deal.

It is not the outcome Pittsburgh envisioned when Jones walked across the draft stage as Khan's first-ever selection, but the Steelers were no longer making this decision based on what they invested three years ago. They were making it based on what Jones' role looked like now, and the answer apparently made a trade more valuable than another season of waiting.

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