Broderick Jones had a bumpy start in his transition to left tackle, but the third-year Steelers OT has made progress. Former Steeler Arthur Moats found himself particularly impressed, offering praise for the former first-round pick on KDKA’s Nightly Sports Call following last night’s preseason finale.
“Throughout this whole preseason the guy I would say offensively impressed me the most has been Broderick Jones”, Moats said. “That’s the guy that a lot of eyes were on. We know the reports coming out of training camp, they weren’t the best, Alex Highsmith was having a lot of success against him.
“But when you look at [Jones] at left tackle in-stadium these three games, he hasn’t allowed pressure, he hasn’t allowed sacks, he hasn’t been penalized. He’s looked good, so to me that’s a guy I focused on and I really feel good about”.
Broderick Jones played 42 snaps during the preseason, including 17 last night, according to Pro Football Focus. Although PFF did not grade him well, it also didn’t charge him with a pressure. On the whole, the Steelers’ first-team offensive line did hold up in pass protection.
“I think Zach Frazier, I feel good about him. I really like what I’m seeing from Troy Fautanu but he’s still young. And Broderick, new position, that’s why you hear me emphasize when I say left tackle”, Moats said about the Steelers’ offensive line. “But those are the guys I think that as the season continues, we’re going to find out how much more confidence we can have in them based on their level of production”.
While I called Broderick Jones’ move to left tackle a transition, it is only so based on recent experience. He played primarily on the left side prior in college but has seen the good majority of his experience with the Steelers at right tackle. For two years, Dan Moore Jr. held him off for the starting job on the left side.
With Moore now in Tennessee, the Steelers are letting Jones sink or swim at left tackle. That’s what they drafted him to do, and they’re going to find out one way or another if he can handle it. Not that they really have other options—even Calvin Anderson isn’t healthy right now. And I don’t think they’re about to start Dylan Cook. HC Mike Tomlin even expressed resistance to the idea of moving Troy Fautanu to the left side.
It remains to be seen how Broderick Jones will pan out at left tackle. We can glean all we want from training camp reports and preseason games, but the regular season is a completely different thing. The speed and talent are different, and there are actual game plans. You study opponents and are aware of their tendencies. We won’t have a good read on him for several weeks, or at least not a fair one.
