Steelers Inventory Watch – OT Broderick Jones

Player: OT Broderick Jones

Stock Value: Up

Reasoning: After a slow start to camp and a groin injury, Broderick Jones has begun stacking better days entering a pivotal season. Both for himself and the Steelers, Jones needs to have a strong year, a prelude to a great career. Although he isn’t taking every possible rep, he says it’s the coaches pulling him out. He also believes he will play on Saturday, the Steelers’ first preseason game.

Broderick Jones knows better than anybody what an important year this is, but he is taking things day by day. Shifting from right tackle to left tackle, he is also undergoing a transition. While he played left tackle in college, any adjustment takes some getting used to.

To top off the move to left tackle, Jones is also apparently dealing with what appears to be a minor groin injury. Speaking as someone with a current groin injury, these things can be tricky. I can confirm—hypothetically—that my pass sets aren’t where they would need to be right now. Fortunately, I don’t have to protect Aaron Rodgers, though. I just sit here and write about him with an ice pack on my lap. But I digress.

The good news is Broderick Jones appears to be adapting well both to left tackle and to his aggravated groin. Based on Alex Kozora’s reporting from training camp, he seems to be making progress. From yesterday’s practice, he noted one rep of sealing T.J. Watt.

Early on in camp, Jones seemed to be a turnstile for Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith. Then again, perhaps it’s worth noting Watt was playing on the defensive right side, which he usually doesn’t. But Kozora noted a good overall practice, not just one rep.

Still, the first real test will be how he looks in-game—even in the preseason. Broderick Jones told reporters yesterday that he believes the plan is to play him on Saturday. How much remains to be seen, but it will be us plebians’ first look at him since last season.

With training camp underway and the Steelers exploring their new roster, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract. Oh, and they also traded some guy named George Pickens, which people found significant.

As we speak, we are in the process of learning what this Steelers team is going to look like. The dust is settled on both free agency and the 2025 NFL Draft, and now we’re in camp. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? They’ve certainly made a flurry of moves, though some question whether they make much difference. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?