Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones revealed that he is far more comfortable with his footwork and hand usage right now than he was at OTAs and minicamp. The transition to left tackle has gone smoothly.
“I do. Just getting back into it and throwing hands in general,” Jones said. “Just the football aspect of it. Coach [Tomlin] always tells us, it’s football-like, not football. All of it helps us when it comes down to it.”
Jones also thinks he’s improved in his pass sets.
“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.
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.”
Jones is coming off standout performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars ans Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first two preseason games. Jones did not allow a single pressure in 12 snaps against Jacksonville according to Pro Football Focus. He was going up against Pro Bowl edge rusher Josh Hines-Allen, too.
Jones knows that the regular games are where things matter the most. Training camp and the preseason are just a stepping stone.
“Training camp is great, but you never know the true test until Week 1 rolls around, and you actually get to put it on tape,” he said.
Jones will be protecting 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ blindside this season. For Jones, he’s just focused on his job and not the outside noise, however.
“I think football is football. They can put Coach [Tomlin] back there. My job is still to block for him,” Jones said.
Mike Tomlin has 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...
