Film Room: Moving Broderick Jones to left tackle could help his pass protection issues

Last season, Pittsburgh put rookie first-round OT Broderick Jones through his paces in his inaugural NFL season. He was drafted as a left tackle and worked as a left tackle throughout training camp and the preseason in 2023. Jones took his first regular season snaps at left tackle when Dan Moore Jr. missed time in the first quarter of the season, picking up his pieces. his first game against the Houston Texans, but bounced back with a strong performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

Jones was removed from the lineup when Moore was back healthy. He sat on the bench for a week before being started at right tackle to replace Chukwuma Okorafor. Jones would start at right tackle for the remainder of the season, but general manager Omar Khan mentioned that the team intended to move Jones back to the left side. He trained at both positions through OTA and minicamp, “tweaking” himself to play either position.

Jones expressed that he would prefer to stay at left tackle, his most natural position, but would do whatever the team told him to do. In the case of Jones and his development, it would be wise for Pittsburgh to retain Jones on the blind side and have Moore and rookie Troy Fautanu match up on the right side.

When you look back at last season’s tape, you can see why a move back to the left side would benefit Broderick Jones, especially from a pass protection standpoint. Jones was baptized by fire in his regular season debut coming off the bench for Moore against the Texans, but performed admirably a week later against the Baltimore Ravens, where he allowed just one pressure on 38 pass blocking reps. The combination of EDGE Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy failed to get to quarterback Kenny Pickett as Jones showed better patience and control in pass protection in his very first start on the left side.

While Broderick Jones represented himself in the run-blocking department at the right blocker position, he struggled to maintain consistency as a pass protector on the right side. He sometimes looked uncomfortable getting out of his stance and adjusting the depth of the pocket, allowing passers to turn the corner because his hands and feet were out of sync, like in this repetition below below against the Arizona Cardinals, where EDGE BJ Ojulari lands a big hit on quarterback Mitch Trubisky while Jones barely gets a hand on the passer.

It didn’t get any better for Broderick Jones on the right side two weeks later against the Indianapolis Colts as he was hampered in pass protection in what would turn out to be an ugly game for Pittsburgh. DL Dayo Odeyingbo had a career day against Jones, getting to the quarterback on multiple occasions as Jones struggled to maintain his punch and prevent Odeyingbo from taking the corner, as well as being overpowered by Odeyingbo on the rush towards the bull as Jones lowered his head in passing. protection.

Against the same Baltimore Ravens that Jones played well against at left tackle to start the season, he hardly looked like the same caliber of player on the right side to close out the regular season. He once again looked pensive at right tackle, allowing himself to be overwhelmed by the same passers he had neutralized earlier in the season on the right side. This was partly due to once again poor technique on Jones’ part, as he lowered his head and did not synchronize his hands and feet during his initial punch. Yet you also see a lack of confidence and comfort in his representatives coming out of his stance and trying to mirror passers from the right side.

Broderick Jones’ poor play in pass protection late in the season was highlighted in the Wildcard team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, struggling mightily to control Buffalo’s pass rush. He once again looked out of place, failing to get a hand on the passer in the first rep while constantly lowering his head in the other reps, leading to pressures on the quarterback and a bad day at the office for Jones.

Broderick Jones has struggled with his hands and feet getting out of sync and his head down since being drafted out of Georgia, making his pass protection woes more than just a problem left tackle versus right tackle. Still, Jones showed major regression and lack of comfort on the right side compared to his sole start on the left side. He looked overwhelmed on several occasions to close out the year, including against a Ravens team he played well against in Week 5 on the left side.

Jones was an inexperienced tackle prospect entering the league with just 19 college starts. However, constantly flipping him back and forth isn’t going to help his development, and playing him on his more natural left side is Pittsburgh’s best bet for him to become a complete player. This will maintain his nastiness as a run blocker while allowing him to develop as a pass protector on his more natural side, which is similar to using your more dominant hand, as many have referenced .

Dan Moore Jr. is also not a good player at right tackle, but he is not the future at the position. Broderick Jones is, as is Fautanu, whom the team practiced at right tackle this summer. If Pittsburgh wants fewer headaches in the future, moving Jones to left tackle would be a wise move…and the sooner the better.