It was a surprising move at the time, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are starting to look like winners of the Broderick Jones trade from this summer. He entered training camp battling for a starting job, only to have that fall by the wayside. Jones then attempted to fight his way onto the Steelers roster, only to come up short.
He was traded to the Dallas Cowboys as Pittsburgh admitted defeat on the first massive bust of the Omar Khan era.
When it came to the details of the trade, the Steelers landed a third-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2027 in exchange for Broderick Jones and a 2027 fourth-round selection. That’s a decent return for a player the team likely would’ve just cut if they didn’t find any trade suitors. With a nagging neck injury and his inability to play at a higher weight throughout his career, Jones became expendable.
Dallas is starting to find out why the Steelers were so eager to move on from the former first-round pick. He just isn’t that good of an offensive tackle. Jones was billed as this great project player who could excel at the next level as a solid athlete at his position. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Jones hasn’t figured things out yet, and his pure athleticism hasn’t bailed him out at the next level.
Ex-Pittsburgh Steelers OT Broderick Jones hasn’t accomplished much since being traded
When Dylan Cook emerged as the swing tackle for the Steelers over keeping Broderick Jones, you know there are problems. For one reason or another, Jones just couldn’t click in Pittsburgh. You can certainly place a ton of blame on how he was coached and developed within the organization, but the player shouldn’t get off scot-free.
The offensive tackle just wasn’t good enough to warrant a first-round pick when you look in hindsight.
His trade to the Cowboys was seen as a move the Black and Gold could grow to regret, but that has yet to happen. This season hasn’t gone to plan for Jones. He hasn’t started a single game and has been waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity. He appears to be getting reps on offense as the extra offensive lineman from time to time.
While he has seen some success in that role, it cannot be what the Cowboys expected when they landed him via trade.
Getting Broderick Jones appeared to be a safe bet for the Cowboys to try to access some of his untapped potential in a new environment. That hasn’t worked out, and the Steelers should feel comfortable after moving on from him. He’s on a path to being unemployed in the NFL soon if he’s not careful.
Unless an injury hits Dallas’s offensive line, it’s hard to see where Jones could start games for them this season.
The NFL season is now through seven weeks of action. The Cowboys have several former Steelers on their roster who they acquired via trade that have seen different levels of success thus far. Jones is not one of those players. He continues to prove that he might be one of the bigger busts in the franchise’s history. It’s disappointing that their high investment in him never worked out.
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