Ben Roethlisberger may not be slinging passes for the Pittsburgh Steelers anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s not tuned in to what the team is doing.
The former quarterback watched the team’s opener against the New York Jets, and he wasn’t exactly thrilled with everything he saw. On his podcast, Roethlisberger recapped the close win and pointed out the struggles of left tackle Broderick Jones.
Jones was a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Steelers, and the team hoped to see the massive lineman become the franchise left tackle. So far, though, that has not happened, and Jones had an awful performance against the Jets.
“What’s going on on the O-line has to be like pulling hair out because you’re running for 53 yards, and you’ve given up four sacks,” said Roethlisberger. “And with all due respect, Broderick Jones looks like a turnstile. I mean, it was bad. I don’t know how many of the sacks were on him, but it felt like there was a lot of pressure coming from that left side.”
Well. to answer Ben’s question, three sacks were pinned on Jones. That leads the NFL after one week, which is a deeply troubling sign for the Steelers. As Roethlisberger mentioned, there WAS plenty off pressure off the left side as the Jets racked up four sacks and seven tackles for loss.
The Steelers are hoping Jones will turn it around quickly. The lineman struggled mightily in 2024, but the hope is that more experience will help him improve. In 2024, Jones earned a 58.5 Pro Football Focus grade while allowing 10 sacks and being penalized 10 times.
If Jones is going to improve, it needs to happen fast because the competition isn’t getting any easier. The Steelers have to go against several teams with elite edge-rushers like the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, and the Detroit Lions, among others.
Opposite Jones, the Steelers have another young starting tackle in Troy Fautanu. Fautanu was a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, but he only played in one game during his rookie season due to an injury. In the Week 1 game, Fautanu help up better than Jones did and didn’t allow a sack.
If Jones continues to struggle, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team eventually make a move. The Steelers are in win-now mode, and inserting veteran Andrus Peat, who has plenty of starting experience, might be a necessary move eventually.
