RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWith final cutdown day fast approaching, the Pittsburgh Steelers face a looming crisis along their offensive line. Former first-round pick Broderick Jones, once viewed as a foundational piece of the front five, is now fighting to secure his place on the 53-man roster following a disastrous preseason performance against the New York Jets.
During “ The Snap Count ” podcast, host Trai Essex, a former Steelers offensive lineman, offered a scathing assessment of Jones after the tackle allowed three sacks, including one to Jets first-round pick David Bailey.
"Broderick Jones is playing so bad right now that I don't know if he's going to make the team," Essex said. "It's gotten to the point now he graded out at I think 68% if I'm not mistaken. He is doing some of the same things he was doing as a rookie and this is year four for him. He's not being physical. The punch is not there."
With a 42-year-old starting quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, protecting the edge is vital. Yet, Pittsburgh's tackle hierarchy remains unstable. While Dylan Cook has shown relative consistency, his inability to play left tackle limits his value as a swing tackle.
Meanwhile, Max Scharping has been sidelined with an injury since early August, severely pinching the team's depth options.
Co-host and former Steelers quarterback, Charlie Batch, noted that if internal answers fail to materialize, general manager Omar Khan may have to look outside the organization.
"At this particular point, you're running out of options," Batch explained. "Because if you don't feel that right now you have somebody currently and you're waiting on the guy who is injured to step in, that lets you know that potentially they're going to be looking at the waiver wire."
Whether Pittsburgh keeps Jones as a reclamation project or cuts ties, his alarming regression has created an urgent tackle dilemma two weeks before the regular season begins.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Is Broderick Jones on the bubble after brutal 3-sack performance?
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