Broderick Jones, the Steelers’ former first-round pick, is officially a Dallas Cowboy after a Saturday trade. This move caps off a pretty wild sequence for the offensive tackle, and honestly, Jones himself just opened up about what he thinks went wrong.
From Neck Injury to a One-Way Ticket Outta Town
Let’s be real, the writing was on the wall for Jones in Pittsburgh. The guy was just coming back from a neck injury, which kept him playing deep into preseason games as he tried to get back up to speed. What’s worse, he missed *all* of their spring workouts. That’s a huge chunk of development time for any player, especially a young lineman. Then came the big signal: the Steelers declined his fifth-year option. And if that wasn’t clear enough, they went right ahead and drafted Max Iheanachor, essentially his replacement. Once those dominos fell, you just knew Jones’s days in the Steel City were numbered. The trade to Dallas felt almost inevitable after all that.
“Bouncing Around” Was The Issue
When Jones finally spoke to the media as a Cowboy, he didn’t pull any punches about his time with the Steelers. John Machota of The Athletic quoted him saying, “For me, I would just say bouncing around, just not being able to get my feet set. That was a challenge for me.” He’s hoping for some stability in Dallas, adding, “Coming in [to Dallas], hopefully I can stick to one side. Compete for that, get comfortable, get familiar with it, get familiar with who I’ll be playing next to and go from there.” And honestly, you can see why he felt that way. He replaced Chuks Okorafor at right tackle in 2023 and stayed there through 2024. Then, in 2025, they moved him to left tackle after drafting Troy Fautanu. This preseason? He was playing *both* right and left tackle. That’s a lot of positional changes for a guy trying to establish himself in the trenches.
What’s Next for the Trenches?
Now, Broderick Jones gets a fresh start, heading into a competition for the Cowboys’ starting right tackle spot with Terrance Steele. For the Steelers, they’re moving forward with Troy Fautanu, Max Iheanachor, and Dylan Cook as their offensive tackles. It’s a completely revamped look for their line after this trade, signaling a clear direction for them. It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out for both teams as the season gets rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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