Former Georgia Bulldog tackle returns after career-threatening injury

A former Georgia Bulldog offensive lineman has seemingly made a miraculous recovery. Former Georgia tackle Broderick Jones, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, has been cleared to play after missing eight months due to a severe neck injury, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor .

Jones suffered the neck injury in a loss to the Chicago Bears last season, and he missed the rest of the season because of it. Jones launched his head into the chest of Bears linebacker Dominque Robinson as Robinson leapt to break up a pass, and Robinson twisted Jones' head down while grabbing his helmet.

"After the [Chicago Bears] game, I felt fine," Jones said Thursday, recounting his surprise at the diagnosis. "I went in the next day, and I was telling [head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah], this is the best I ever felt after a game. And he was like, 'I don't know how because you're done.' I'm like, 'What?'"

Jones ended up having a spinal fusion surgery soon after and embarked on a difficult rehab that included more than three months of no physical activity. However, he's been seen with the second-team offensive line as a right tackle. He's still confident he can become a starter once again.

Jones, a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will be a free agent at the end of this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers declined Jones' fifth-year option and drafted Arizona State lineman Max Inheanachor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. So, he is playing for a second contract with the team, too.

The Steelers traded up to draft Jones No. 14 overall. He was expected to start at left tackle, but he instead started at right tackle in his first two seasons, with Dan Moore Jr. holding onto the starting job at left tackle. Once Moore Jr. departed into free agency last offseason, Jones took over the left tackle spot until his injury.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription needed) , Jones let up six sacks and 23 pressures in 11 games. Those are improvements from 2024, when he let up 11 sacks and 45 pressures.

Still, this season is a big season for him. Jones was one of Georgia's best offensive linemen in the 2020s. He played from 2020-22, helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022, his only season as a full-time starter. Still, he was great in 2022, earning a second-team All-SEC spot and allowing just nine pressures and no sacks.

This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia Bulldog tackle returns after career-threatening injury

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