The Pittsburgh Steelers must get their roster down to 53 players by Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, and they made a big-time move to start the process.
ESPN’s NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on Saturday evening that the Steelers are sending offensive tackle Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys.
Jeremy Fowler from ESPN reported that the Cowboys will be sending a third- and sixth-round pick to the Steelers, and Pittsburgh will also send a fourth back.
Jones Suffered a Severe Neck Injury Last Season
The Steelers drafted Jones with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia. He appeared in 45 games, starting 38 in three seasons for Pittsburgh.
Jones is recovering from a severe neck injury that ended his 2025 season. The 25-year-old left tackle collided with Bears linebacker Dominque Robinson in a Week 12 loss at Soldier Field.
Despite suffering a serious neck injury, Jones took a few days after the game to find out what actually happened to him.
“After the [Chicago Bears] game, I felt fine,” Jones said in late July, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “I went in the next day, and I was telling [head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah], this is the best I ever felt after a game. And he was like, ‘I don’t know how because you’re done.’ I’m like, ‘What?'”
Jones will now have a fresh start in Dallas. He will be a free agent after the season since the Steelers didn’t pick up his fifth-year option.
Steelers Moved Troy Fautanu to Left Tackle This Offseason
One of the reasons why the Steelers moved on from Jones was because of 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu taking over the left tackle spot this offseason.
Fautanu played 1,029 snaps at right tackle last season. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 44th-best tackle out of 89 last season, ranking 40th in pass blocking and 68th in run blocking.
Since head coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t with the Steelers last season, one of his adjustments this season was moving Fautanu from the right side to the left. Offensive line coach James Campen spoke about this earlier in the offseason.
“I saw it when he was in college, when he was at left tackle in college,” Steelers offensive line coach James Campen said, via SteelersNow Chris Ward. “The thing with him is he just naturally goes over and starts using his left sets and those kinda things. Sometimes as coaches, we take that for granted. And I think, at times, we just say, ‘Well, just go over there and put your left hand down.’ Well, try writing left-handed if you’re right-handed. It’s not as easy as you think. And so the fact that he’s able to do that, and we’re just seeing how it goes over there for right now, but that is a big plus.”
Fautanu has experience playing left tackle. He has started 30 games on that side of the line for almost three seasons at Washington.
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