As a former first-round pick, Broderick Jones is under pressure to show out than just about anyone at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp. So far in his brief NFL career, Jones has struggled to acclimate to the professional game, though that is not entirely his fault. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin have asked Jones to play out of position more often that not, moving him around the offensive line and praising his flexibility. This has limited his development in the long run.
Jones reportedly showed up to Steelers camp underweight. He suffered a groin injury just days in and looked overmatched when he was able to practice. This rightly has Steelers fans concerned, as he was a shoe-in to start at left tackle, the most important position on Pittsburgh's offensive line. Jones will be tasked with protecting Aaron Rodgers' blind side when healthy, and the 41-year-old isn't all that mobile at this point in his career. If the Steelers cannot keep Rodgers off the ground, this season could go downhill fast.
Steelers may have an outside-the-box solution to Broderick Jones problem
If Jones is injured or cannot make the necessary strides in camp to prove he's worthy of that starting left tackle spot, one possible solution could be moving third-string tight end Darnell Washington around the line of scrimmage to give him some help. Washington is a behemoth, standing at 6-7 and 264 pounds. Washington himself is willing to do whatever it takes to make the roster, as he's listed as the third-string tight end behind Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth.
“I feel like I can, but right now, I’m a tight end. So, I’m gonna focus on that. Later on down the road or any time in the road, if they ask for me to do that, I’m gonna still do my best ability. I’m gonna do it with lots of confidence. I feel like I can, if I wanted to," Washington said.
Should the Steelers move Darnell Washington to tackle?
A full-on position switch for the Georgia product Washington likely isn't in the cards. However, the Steelers haven't been shy about using Washington in their heavy packages and goal-line sets as an extra blocker. What Washington lacks as a legitimate pass-catching target, he makes up for in blocking ability and as a big body. Given Rodgers' limitations at this point in his career, going heavy more often may play into the Steelers' best interest.
The Steelers are limited at left tackle behind Jones. Whether fans like it or not, he should be the starter when healthy. If he struggles in regular-season game and puts Rodgers at risk, Pittsburgh can use Washington to their advantage in more three tight end sets, something Arthur Smith has already hinted at in camp.
Washington will not see the field too often, meaning at the end of the day Jones' improvement will make or break the Steelers ability to protect Rodgers on his blind side. However, anything Pittsburgh can do to hedge their bets will help matters long term.