During the 2023 NFL Draft, newly promoted Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan made an aggressive move, traded up with the New England Patriots and selected tackle Broderick Jones out of Georgia with the 14th overall pick. At the time, the pick was held in high regard as Broderick was a hyper-athletic tackle on two national championship-winning Georgia teams. In theory, it was the first step towards rebuilding a depleted Pittsburgh offensive line.
Unfortunately, as many Steelers fans know, Broderick has not lived up to expectations. Over the past two seasons, Broderick has graded poorly, according to PFF. This year, Pittsburgh is asking a lot more from him as he’s replacing former left tackle Dan Moore Jr., who signed with the Tennessee Titans this offseason.
This move actually has a chance to work, as he had the most success on the left side back when he played for Georgia. Broderick wasn’t given this opportunity last season, as he was covering for right tackle Troy Fautanu, who was injured for his entire rookie season.
Things could’ve been looking up for the newly appointed left tackle. However, it seems that Broderick Jones’ third season is already off to a shaky start.
Broderick Jones' massive body transformation
While many Steelers fans were hoping for some massive changes from Broderick, this isn’t exactly what they were looking for. According to Steelers reporter Andrew Filliponi, it seems that Broderick Jones may weigh close to 285 pounds. Multiple reports claim that he appears to look smaller than Pittsburgh tight end Darnell Washington.
This should raise some major red flags for the Steelers organization, as his play was already in question. It’d be one thing if he were trying to shed a bit of weight so that he could play faster or be more explosive, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. In the Steelers’ first padded practice of the preseason, Broderick Jones got baited by Alex Highsmith with an “inside ghost move” and lost the rep in embarrassing fashion.
Broderick Jones man…
— Luke Sawhook 🪚🪝 (@lukesawhook) July 25, 2025
Aaron Rodgers isn’t gonna be happy if his starting LT looks like this
pic.twitter.com/OQYj4cuRVt
He already seems a step too slow. If his weight drop results in an additional loss in overall play strength, he will become a liability on a snap-to-snap basis. He will perform horribly against power rushers, and unfortunately for him, the Steelers face one of the league’s best, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, twice.
Broderick Jones' injury concern
To make matters worse, it seems that Broderick sustained an unspecified injury to the lower body earlier this week. The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo provided some clarification on the injury and reported that Broderick is suffering from a groin injury. He was seen being wrapped by a couple of trainers and took one more snap before leaving the field.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, at Wednesday’s practice, Broderick was able to participate and took the majority of the first-team reps with some breaks in between.
While injuries happen to every athlete during their career, one must ask: Was this injury sustained due to his new body being unable to adjust to the physicality of the game? If he decides to stick to this new lighter frame, Broderick’s body may not last the season, as it’s already beginning to show signs of wear and tear.
The breaking point
This season is pivotal for the Steelers organization as they are making one last push to win a Super Bowl. They’ve traded for three superstars in DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey, and Jonnu Smith and signed two great veterans in Darius Slay and, most importantly, quarterback Aaron Rodgers. If Broderick Jones doesn’t take a step forward, the vision of Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan for the team falls apart instantly.
If Broderick gets injured or is simply unplayable, Pittsburgh will have no choice but to pull him from playing. I don’t think Aaron Rodgers wants, in his final season, to see his starting left tackle benched and for his blind side to be protected by a backup tackle like Calvin Anderson or Dylan Cook.
It truly is put up or shut up time for Broderick. At this point, he alone is in charge of how he wants to be remembered, either as a key piece on a championship team or an NFL Draft bust.