The Pittsburgh Steelers officially surrendered on Broderick Jones three years after trading up to select him 14th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh sent Jones and a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys for third- and sixth-round selections in the same draft, closing an extremely disappointing chapter for both sides.
Chris Adamski / X
Former Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones speaking with members of the Pittsburgh media during the 2025 NFL season.
Jones never developed into the dependable cornerstone Pittsburgh expected. He played both tackle positions, endured stretches of poor technique and committed costly penalties before a neck injury ended his 2025 season. Those struggles made the decision to trade him understandable, but comments from his new head coach have created an uncomfortable question about who deserves the blame.
Cowboys reporter Nicole Hutchison asked Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer about Jones on Thursday. Schottenheimer praised nearly everything about the former Steelers tackle, including a willingness to absorb instruction that potentially contradicts the reputation created by his disappointing results in Pittsburgh.
"Great job of learning the system. Very athletic. Love how coachable he is," Schottenheimer said. "I spoke to a coach that had coached him before, and he said that was a trait of his. He would just eat up all the coaching they could give him."
That is a fascinating assessment of someone the Steelers decided was no longer worth developing. Jones always possessed uncommon athletic ability, which was the primary reason Pittsburgh moved up three positions to draft him. He was considered an unfinished product coming out of Georgia, but the organization believed professional coaching and experience would eventually transform those physical gifts into reliable technique.
It never happened consistently. Jones started 38 of his 45 regular-season appearances for Pittsburgh, yet the same fundamental problems repeatedly resurfaced. He struggled with his hands, balance and pass protection while being moved between the left and right sides of the offensive line.
The positional movement certainly did not help. Jones entered the NFL as a natural left tackle before Pittsburgh played him primarily on the right side during his first two seasons. He finally returned to left tackle in 2025, only for another difficult beginning and the eventual neck injury to disrupt that transition. Schottenheimer's next observation was considerably more revealing.
"He's doing terrific," Schottenheimer said. "There are some techniques he's been taught that we're having to retrain, and usually it takes a minute, but in terms of the athlete and young man, I'm sold."
Schottenheimer did not identify the coach who taught those techniques. It is possible that some habits originated in college, where Jones possessed limited starting experience before entering the draft. Presenting the comment as an explicit accusation against Pittsburgh would go beyond what the Cowboys coach actually said.
However, ignoring the obvious implication would be equally unreasonable. Jones spent three full seasons inside Pittsburgh's offensive-line program after leaving Kirby Smart's program. Any techniques he carried into Dallas were either taught by the Steelers or allowed to remain throughout his professional development.
Steelers Must Watch What Broderick Jones Becomes
Jones now receives the fresh start that appeared necessary for everyone involved. The Cowboys acquired him to compete at right tackle, giving him another opportunity to prove that his athletic profile can produce starting-caliber football. Schottenheimer already sounds sold on the person and potential underneath the frustrating tape.
Pittsburgh has simultaneously entrusted its offensive line to Mike McCarthy and James Campen. Their arrival created an entirely different developmental environment, meaning the current regime should not be held responsible for every mistake made before it. The organization has already moved forward with Troy Fautanu, Max Iheanachor and Dylan Cook among its primary tackle options.
The final verdict will arrive through Jones' performance. If Dallas corrects his technique and unlocks the talented player Pittsburgh once envisioned, the trade will become a painful indictment of how his early career was handled. If the same problems continue, the Steelers will appear wise for recovering meaningful draft capital before his rookie contract expired.
For now, Schottenheimer has made the postmortem far more complicated. Pittsburgh may have traded an unsuccessful first-round pick, but Dallas believes it acquired a gifted and highly coachable lineman whose previous technique needs to be undone. That distinction should concern anyone wondering why Jones never reached his potential in Pittsburgh.
Was Jones failed by Pittsburgh's development plan, or is Dallas merely adapting him to a different system? Send your verdict to me on X (@anthonyghalkias) and follow me for more honest analysis surrounding the Steelers.
#SteelerNation