Steelers Now
Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach and Hall of Famer Bill Cowher thinks the success of the Steelers’ 2025 season heavily relies on the play of the offensive line. As the old saying goes, it all starts up front.
“I think the biggest thing for them this year is development on the offensive line,” Cowher said during an interview with CBS Sports. “Say what you want. They’re young. And they need to be able to keep Aaron [Rodgers] upright. Hopefully, Arthur Smith can get the running game going. It takes a lot of pressure of Aaron.”
Broderick Jones looked flawless in the preseason. So far, the transition to left tackle has gone smoothly.
“I would just say the tempo in my pass sets. Tempo in my pass sets helps a lot because I see so many different rushers. I’d say that’s the biggest thing I’ve taken out of it so far,” Jones said when asked what he’s done really well in the preseason.
Jones will be protecting 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ blindside this season. The third-year tackle out of Georgia is arguably facing the most pressure among Steelers players. He has to keep Rodgers upright. If not, the Steelers season could blow up in smoke.
Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has seen a noticeable difference in Jones at left tackle.
“Broderick’s background was different than the three guys we drafted last year,” Smith said. “Those guys had played a lot of college starts. I know Broderick is a terrific athlete for a tackle, and he was forced to play right, and then the three-man competition we had with Dan [Moore Jr.] playing left only, and then obviously Troy [Fautanu] being a rookie.
“Then Troy got hurt, so it ended up Broderick playing right tackle. He feels like he’s a natural left. We’ve been able to kind of settle that down. Both those guys have done a nice job.”
Head coach Mike Tomlin has also been impressed with what he’s seen from Jones and starting right tackle Troy Fautanu thus far.
“I think they’ve gotten better every day,” Tomlin said after the final training practice at St. Vincent College. “Broderick got slowed by a little day-to-day injury there for a spell, but he’s really been on the uptick since his return. Same with Troy. I like the trajectory of the group. Even though we’re leaving here, we still are very much in development. We have a lot of time in front of us between now and the opener.”
For Jones, it’s all about confidence. So far it seems like he has his swagger back at left tackle.
“I feel like once you have confidence at the O-line position, you’d be OK. … Confidence is like 80 percent of the battle when it comes to playing offensive line,” Jones said.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Bill Cowher Reveals Biggest Key for Steelers in 2025
