Has Broderick Jones Turned The Nook In His Professionalism (And Play)?

Has Broderick Jones turned the corner in his professionalism, and will it follow in his play?

Though Broderick Jones has never sounded immature in interviews, comments from coaches and teammates hinted at a lack of seriousness. As might be common for young players, perhaps he didn’t fully appreciate how much goes into an NFL career. This is a full-time job, a profession, and your opponents are preparing with that frame of mind.

Whether Jones ever truly undersold the significance of his position or not, he seems to be taking his job more seriously than ever, and that could be for a variety of reasons. This is a critical season for him in terms of his financial future, his fifth-year option due in 2026. He is also back at left tackle, where he feels more comfortable. And he knows as well as anyone that he didn’t play as well as he ought to have last year.

We won’t know what it looks like on the field until we get there, but off the field, Broderick Jones is saying all the right things. At the end of minicamp, he said he was entering “grind mode”, counting down the days until training camp. Visibly, he is in better shape, having shed weight, which he may keep off or regain in muscle.

Now in his third season, Broderick Jones looks the part of the franchise left tackle, but will he prove it? That’s what the Steelers are counting on. And they’ll need to see it, I’m sure, before they commit big bucks to his future in that role. That’s a big part of what this season’s going to be about, as it concerns personnel decisions.

After all, the Steelers are on the lookout for a new franchise quarterback, and they need to protect him. If they don’t feel comfortable with Broderick Jones being that blindside protector, what then? But of course, we already know the stakes; we’re just waiting on the result.

Most players show us who they are by their third season, though that’s not always the case. It is often enough, though, to form a pretty good opinion. If Jones doesn’t earn the appropriate goodwill this year, it might not be unreasonable to suggest the Steelers will start exploring alternatives in 2026. Including moving Troy Fautanu to left tackle, where he played in college.

The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.

Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.

But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.