In the highly anticipated matchup between the Steelers and the Broncos this past Sunday, all eyes were on the battle at right tackle between the team’s two first-round picks, Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. The original plan was to rotate the two young talents throughout the game, but things quickly took a turn in the first half.
Fautanu got the start, but after just one quarter of play, Jones was brought in to take over. Unfortunately for Jones, he struggled, racking up penalties left and right, including a false start and two costly holding calls. The tipping point came when a 51-yard pass to George Pickens was nullified due to one of Jones’ holding penalties. As a result, the Steelers coaching staff made the decision to stick with Fautanu for the remainder of the game.
Head coach Mike Tomlin shared his thoughts on the situation, admitting that he initially had concerns about Fautanu’s conditioning following a knee injury. However, the penalties by Jones forced Tomlin to keep Fautanu on the field. Despite this, Tomlin made it clear that Jones still has a chance to redeem himself.
“I’m going to give Broderick an opportunity to rebound,” Tomlin stated. “He’s a talented young player. I am sure he suffered some disappointment in terms of Troy starting. It’s a natural thing. But he has to move past it and I have to give him an opportunity to move past it as a leader. We’ll get into this week. We’ll let participation be our guide and the quality of participation for both guys be our guide in terms of how we divvy up this week. It’s a new week.”
Looking ahead, Jones remains listed on the depth chart as a backup for both Fautanu and left tackle Dan Moore. This opens up the possibility for Jones to see playing time at a different position in the future.
As the drama unfolds within the Steelers’ offensive line, all eyes will be on Jones and Fautanu as they compete for playing time and strive to prove their worth on the field. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing situation.
