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Building in the trenches is something that has not stopped for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Three of team's last four first-round selections have been offensive linemen, with the lone defender also playing up front in Derrick Harmon. Unfortunately for the organization, arguably the biggest gamble of them all has not really worked out since arriving to the Steel City back in 2023. Broderick Jones was traded up for as the franchise moved up three spots to get him; however, the first two seasons of his career did not necessarily go as planned. Then, when he was starting to trend in a positive direction, he suffered a neck injury in 2025.
Jones has been moved around and played both sides of the line as a tackle. However, his scary injury from his fourth career campaign led the Steelers to select Max Iheanachor back in April. On top of that, Jones appeared to have shed plenty of pounds, and wasn't cleared to lift weights for the majority of the offseason. There hasn't been an update in a little while, but fans will get more of an idea about his status once training camp begins.
Pittsburgh did not pick up Jones' fifth-year option for the 2027 season, so all signs point to 2026 being his final year with the Steelers. That is why it would probably be fair to speculate that the organization should consider trading him if he is fully cleared and can display in the preseason that he has his form back. However, this might not be wise for the front office to do anyway.
On Tuesday night's episode of Steelers Collective, team insider Mark Kaboly was explaining why the Steelers should opt out of trading Jones, especially if he shows that he is almost fully back to normal. It's clear that he really isn't in the future plans, but a third- or fourth-round compensatory pick could be coming Pittsburgh's way if the tackle is an attractive free-agency target.
"You don't have to be a superstar tackle to get paid in this league," Kaboly said. "So, if he just shows a little bit, he leaves next year and gets decent money, you know that might be more than fifth-round, sixth-round pick you'd trade him for now. That might be a compensatory pick. I mean, there's always that option."
Back in 2025, Dan Moore Jr. inked a massive four-year, $84 million deal with the Tennessee Titans. His play may not have warranted that kind of payday, but the tackles are getting paid insane amounts of money in the modern day NFL. This deal led to the Steelers inking high-end draft capital. If Jones' worth is only a sixth-round pick or so, it makes sense to stash him, let him get healthy, and allow his pedigree as a former first-rounder do the talking in 2027.
A lot is going to have to go right for Jones in the coming months. First, he needs to be cleared for full football contact. Then, he is going to have to somehow get back on the field to prove that he is fully recovered from his injury.
Crossing both of these off of the list will go a long way in him receiving a lucrative contract in free agency when the times comes. For the Steelers, it actually makes sense to get him back to normal so that they can give him the opportunities to show other teams that he has bounced back.
Steelers Plans Might Depend On Iheanachor's Development
Despite taking another tackle in the first round, Pittsburgh is not going to be forced into starting Iheanachor right away due to the presence of Dylan Cook. If Jones finds a way to prove that he is healthy, that adds another wrinkle that could change things. Fans might actually not even see the rookie play all that much, or at all, which might be a very good thing so he can get up to speed.
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