Getty Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is uncertain about which position Broderick Jones will play in 2024.
Although he emphasized competition, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expressed confidence in Kenny Pickett being the team’s starting quarterback in 2024 during his end-of-the season press conference. But Tomlin was less certain about the role of fellow first-round pick Broderick Jones.
The Steelers traded up in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft and selected Jones with the intention of him becoming the team’s long-term solution at left tackle. But most of Jones’ rookie season experience was at right tackle.
On January 18, Tomlin wouldn’t say whether the team plans to keep Jones at right tackle or move him to the quarterback’s blindside in 2024.
“Undecided as of yet,” Tomlin said of Jones’ role. “Obviously he has capabilities in that area, but he was more than capable at right tackle as well.”
Jones shined at times during his rookie season, but according to the Pro Football Focus player grades, he also struggled, especially in his last few games. In particular, Jones had problems in pass protection during December and January, based on the PFF grades.
What is Broderick Jones’ 2024 Role With Steelers?
Inconsistent is probably the best way to describe Jones’ 11 games as a rookie starter. The good news is he made an obvious impact on Pittsburgh’s running game.
After he became the team’s starting right tackle in Week 9, the Steelers averaged 141.6 rushing yards per game, including the postseason. Before Jones entered the lineup, the Steelers posted 79.7 rushing yards per contest.
Jones’ physicality played a significant role in that improvement. Thanks to Jones’ run-blocking ability, PFF ranked him the third-best rookie tackle in the 2023 regular season.
But Jones wasn’t as stout in pass protection. He also got worse at it as the season went.
In three of the last five games, including the playoffs, Jones posted a PFF pass-blocking grade of 34.2 (out of 100) or lower. In the postseason, he struggled in pass protection and run blocking against the experienced Buffalo Bills defensive line.
One reason Jones could have struggled was because he was playing out of position. He’s a natural left tackle who switched to right tackle during the midseason point.
With an offseason to train at right tackle, he should be significantly better in 2024.
However, the Steelers didn’t aggressively pursue Jones in the 2023 draft so he could play right tackle. The expectation when he arrived was Jones would be a stalwart at the quarterback’s blindside on Pittsburgh’s offensive line for the foreseeable future.
That plus the fact right tackle is not the best fit for him could make it difficult to justify keeping Jones at right tackle in 2024.
How Dan Moore Could Impact Jones’ 2024 Role
There’s more at play in Jones’ future than simply where he fits best. That’s likely why Tomlin couldn’t commit to one position for the 22-year-old on January 18.
Dan Moore started at left tackle in Pittsburgh for the third straight year during 2023. But based on what Tomlin said to the media in early November, Moore didn’t keep his job at left tackle just because he was a better option than Jones.
“[Moore] is significantly better at left than he is at right,” Tomlin told reporters on November 8.
Moore essentially shared the same sentiment to the media in September when he argued Jones was “a lot more natural” at right tackle than he was.
In conclusion, the Steelers finished the season with two starting tackles who prefer to play on the blindside. The team moved Jones to right tackle because that was the best move for the offensive line overall.
Moore has one year remaining on his contract. Given that it doesn’t sound as though he’s capable of a position change, 2024 will likely be his final season with the Steelers. It’s also possible Moore won’t start in 2024.
If the Steelers elect to move Jones to left tackle, then they could select a right tackle upgrade early in the NFL draft. Some draft experts have predicted the Steelers to target an offensive tackle in the first round again.
But that will likely depend on how the Steelers view their other needs and fill out their roster through free agency.
Should other needs take precedence, then Moore could remain the team’s starting left tackle in 2024. That would mean another year on the opposite side for Jones.