Steelers A to Z: Left or right? Broderick Jones could enter 2nd NFL season a starter at either O-line spot

Editor’s note: From now until the first practice of training camp at Saint Vincent College, TribLive is running through the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 90-man roster, looking at each player and assessing his outlook for the 2024 season. The breakdown will run in alphabetical order with at least two players each day between June 14 and July 25. Contract data courtesy spotrac.com.

OT Broderick Jones

Experience/age: Second season/23

Contract status: $3,778,717 cap hit for this season, signed through 2026 with club option for 2027

The past: The Steelers traded up three spots in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft to select the 6-foot-5, 311-pound tackle prospect from Georgia. The move was done to secure the team’s future at left tackle, yet it was on the right side where Jones spent so much time during his rookie season.

Jones took over at right tackle after Chuks Okorafor’s benching, and he played the final 10 games of the season at that spot. He also started the playoff loss to Buffalo.

Jones joined the Steelers as a one-plus season starter at Georgia, and the Steelers elected to bring him along slowly before moving him into the starting lineup. Jones had just 19 starts in his final two seasons at Georgia. Contrast that to 2024 first-rounder Troy Fautanu, who started 31 games in his final three seasons at Washington.

.@steelers rookie LT; Broderick Jones had a strong NFL debut…#HereWeGo #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/vlX7U53sFH

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) October 12, 2023

2024 outlook: Jones showed as a rookie that he can be a fixture on the offensive line. The question is where will he play this season? He spent offseason workouts taking the first-team reps at right tackle even though general manager Omar Khan acknowledged that Jones’ future is at left tackle.

Jones’ position, of course, is tied into what the Steelers want to do with three-year starter Dan Moore Jr. at left tackle and how quickly Fautanu develops as a right tackle after moving from the left side.

The switch from right to left is inevitable for Jones, who did take reps at left tackle with the second team in organized team activities.

Jones and Fautanu could be bookends on the Steelers offensive line for the next few seasons. Until Fautanu’s emergence, Jones could start this season at right tackle.