I know this sounds like a post about Broderick Jones and this could become a post about Broderick Jones. But this isn’t a post about Broderick Jones. His evaluation, like many others, remains incomplete. With an injury and just two padded practices, there’s a lot more that needs examined before feeling any type of way about Jones going into his critical third season. His start certainly is far from ideal, but it’s not the reason why adding a veteran offensive tackle should – and likely will – be on the Steelers’ to-do list come August cutdowns.
Pittsburgh entered camp in a shaky place. Depth was questionable. Calvin Anderson can play either spot but logged more than 200 season snaps just once in his NFL career. Dylan Cook created buzz in 2023 but hasn’t captured it since. Steven Jones and Gareth Warren aren’t next-man-up.
To his credit, Anderson had an encouraging start to camp with wins against Alex Highsmith as Jones missed time. But late in Friday Night Lights practice, Anderson limped off the field. Specifics of the injury aren’t known but Mike Tomlin implied it’s one that’ll keep him out for the time being, deeming it more severe than “day-to-day.” That could mean a range of things but at this point, it’ll be a plus just for Anderson to return by training camp’s end in nine days. Missing a large chunk of the summer seems plausible.
Lines got so thin that yesterday, Spencer Anderson kicked out and picked up a handful of left tackle reps. Even though he vowed to be done with his tackle days, the Steelers are already forced to explore every alternative two weeks into training camp.
Injuries have already piled up. Broderick Jones and Isaac Seumalo are recovering from soft tissue injuries. Ryan McCollum has dealt with an on-off ailment throughout camp. Anderson’s now down. Pittsburgh came into the year with far less depth than a year ago and is already feeling the squeeze.
Which puts Pittsburgh on external addition alert. There’s no magical option to cure everything. Offensive line talent is scarce and teams who have it don’t want to give it up. But the Steelers need to turn over every option. Whether it’s injury or Jones being ineffective during the season, Pittsburgh needs a Plan B to protect Aaron Rodgers.
It’s too early to create a list of names. That’ll come later this summer. Without much study, veterans worth rattling off could include the Cleveland Browns’ Jackson Barton, Houston Texans’ Trent Brown, Kansas City Chiefs’ Wanya Morris, and Philadelphia Eagles’ Kendall Lamm. George Fant remains a free agent and could a reunion with Chukwuma Okorafor be on the table?
None of those options sound appealing. When it comes to adding offensive line help in August, it rarely does. But the Steelers are on a course where they’ll be scouring the waiver wire, and potentially the trade market, to beef up the trenches before the regular season kicks off. It’s sure better to have depth and not need it than need it and not have it.
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