Pro Football Rumors
Broderick Jones was limited to 11 games in 2025. The Steelers tackle continues to recover from neck surgery, but his outlook remains unclear at this point.
Since undergoing the procedure, Jones has not had a firm recovery timeline. That remains the case at this point, so his availability for the start of training camp is an open question. With respect to the start of the regular season, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic writes Jones is a candidate to begin the year on injured reserve.
A number of players around the league will be moved to the active/PUP list at the start of training camp. They can be activated to the roster at any time, but some will inevitably shift to the reserve/PUP list for the beginning of the season. An absence of at least four games to start the year is required in those cases. The same is also true for players who begin the campaign on IR.
Tweaks to roster cutdown rules and injured reserve in recent years have left teams able to designate as many as two players for return from IR at the end of August. Those cases require at least a month-long absence and count toward each team’s limit of eight IR activations through the regular season. It will be interesting to see how the Steelers proceed in Jones’ case.
The former No. 14 pick has not met expectations when on the field so far in his Pittsburgh career. The neck injury helped influence the decision from general manager Omar Khan and Co, to decline his fifth-year option this spring. A potential free agent departure in 2027 now looms, especially given Pittsburgh’s other recent tackle investments. Troy Fautanu worked at left tackle during spring workouts, setting him up to replace Jones on the blindside. That setup would allow first-round rookie Max Iheanachor to operate at right tackle, providing he can win the starting job over Dylan Cook.
Jones, 25, has totaled 45 appearances and 38 starts to date with the Steelers. When he is able to add to those totals – and in what capacity – will make represent an important question as the summer unfolds.
