Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Broderick Jones had a day to forget in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season opener against the New York Jets.
In his first game at left tackle in the NFL, Jones gave up up three sacks while facing Jets edge rusher Will McDonald — the player the Jets had to settle for after the Steelers traded up to snatch Jones away from New York.
In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Jones faced another dangerous defense and star edge rusher Boye Mafe, but he held his own much better the second time around. The only sack he allowed was while the team was in desperation mode late in the game.
“I thought he was significantly better,” head coach Mike Tomlin said.
Jones is part of a young rebuild for the Steelers offensive line that also includes 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu, second-round pick Zach Frazier and fourth-round pick Mason McCormick.
The results so far have been a mixed bag. Aaron Rodgers has been sacked seven times in two games. As a team, the Steelers are averaging just three yards per carry on the ground.
But Tomlin is optimistic about the trajectory of the unit through two contests, despite the underwhelming statistical performance.
“I feel great about it, to be honest with you,” he said. “I like our group. We’re going to continue to get better. We have to work in that spirit. Certainly, we could have been better in some areas, but that’s life. I like the overall trajectory of the group as a collective and as individuals.”
With multiple high-round picks invested in the rebuild of the offensive line and Jones and Fautanu playing in what the team perceives as their future spots for the first time, their play will be one of the dominant storylines of the Steelers’ 2025 season.
“We’ve just got to continue to gel as an offense, honestly,” Jones said on Monday. “We’ve got a lot of moving parts, a lot of new schemes and new people, so we’ve just got to continue to gel and continue to work as one.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Applauds Bounce-Back for Steelers LT Broderick Jones: ‘Significantly Better’
