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Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones did not take much time off during the offseason. He slimmed down in a big way, which will actually allow him to gain weight during the NFL regular season.
His approach to the position and its required mass is backwards from the norm.
Jones, 24, earned First-Team All-SEC honors as a senior at Georgia in 2022, which led him to be selected with the No. 14 overall pick in that year’s Draft. This will be his third season in the NFL.
If we are being honest, Jones might be the most important player on the offense. The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to move him from the right tackle position to the left and they expect him to take a big step forward after two up-and-down years in 2023 and 2024. He showed flashes of the mauler everyone expected him to be out of college but he has yet to put it all together consistently.
Broderick Jones took a different approach to preparation over the last five months.
Most NFL players start the year at their heaviest, knowing that they will drop anywhere between 10-15 pounds throughout the fall. Pittsburgh’s new left tackle did the opposite. He lost approximately 20 pounds during the offseason with the intention of gaining weight as the year goes on.
The ability to pull across the line and work in space was one of Jones’ best qualities at Georgia but it has yet to translate to the NFL. His weight loss will allow him to be more mobile and fluid. It also allows him to bulk up during (and after) training camp if he feels like he does not have enough strength at the point of attack. His natural weight gain also creates less of an issue later in the year if he comes in lighter.
Andrew Whitworth explained why this approach can be effective from his own first-hand experience. Offensive linemen buck the trend of regular season weight loss. That applies mostly to skill players.
Most linemen gain weight or struggle to stay at weight during season going higher. I always tried to be much lighter in offseason. Focusing on how my body feels, moves and prepping it for the grind of season. Would gain 10-15 lbs ever year naturally. No change other than just football season grind. Less active as season goes.
— Andrew Whitworth
I am curious to see how this plays out. The pressure is on for Broderick Jones to show improvement during Year 3 of his career. Will he play better, lighter? Or will the weight loss cause him problems with strength and power? We’ll see.
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