It’s hard to complain about being 2-1, especially with the lone loss coming at the hands of a talented club. But it hasn’t been pretty for the Pittsburgh Steelers, particularly the play of their starting left tackle, Broderick Jones.
Jones has been a liability since the Steelers selected him with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2023 draft. So, to the Black and Gold faithful’s dismay, his struggles aren’t necessarily news, though they are wearing thin on fans and franchise icons alike.
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger spoke about the team’s Week 3 win over the New England Patriots on his Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger podcast. The retired two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback blasted Jones when discussing Pittsburgh’s offensive line woes and inability to keep current passer Aaron Rodgers upright.
Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger lambastes LT Broderick Jones for poor play
While there were no sacks in the box score of Pittsburgh’s 21-14 victory in Foxborough, Rodgers “still got a hit a bunch,” Roethlisberger said. Big Ben cited a specific instance where Jones was visibly out of position, making it easy for a Patriots defender to get into the backfield.
“There’s a play where Broderick Jones is standing completely upright, and the guy basically runs right through him,” Roethlisberger noted. “It’s actually the play we laughed about …” he told his co-host, Spencer Te’o.
Roethlisberger continued to bury Jones for playing with such a high posture. The former exposes the latter’s lack of nimbleness and stability, claiming that another renowned Steeler, edge rusher James Harrison, would’ve exposed the mentioned technical issues.
“[Jones] is so upright, and you can’t stand upright as a tackle,” Roethlisberger stated. “You’ve got to get low, because guys are just going to get underneath you. James Harrison, what did he talk about? Leverage. If James Harrison were to go against Broderick Jones, he would have 15 sacks a game … Broderick has to be better in protecting.”
Perhaps Roethlisberger was a little too harsh when singling out Jones, though the comments aren’t meritless. A Steelers great wants the best for the player and organization, so his comments ostensibly come from a place of tough love. Moreover, the eye test and numbers each validate the message, albeit a brutal reality to face.
Jones has allowed multiple pressures in every game this season ($), including the strikingly bad rep Roethlisberger referenced. The 24-year-old’s lowly 49.9 overall Pro Football Focus grade ranks 81st out of 101 qualified tackles; he’s fared equally poorly against the pass and run.
