It’s ironic that this spring, Broderick Jones has been coaching fellow first-round pick Troy Fautanu for two reasons:
• Fautanu is seven months older than Jones, despite the fact that both tackles are 23 years old.
• Jones has started one fewer game than Fautanu over the last three seasons of competitive football.
However, Fautanu attended school for five seasons, whereas Jones left school early and signed as a first-round pick with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023, giving Jones the year of NFL experience that makes him the elder statesman.
Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick, two rookie linemen, face the same situation. Frazier is only three months younger than Jones, but McCormick, who recently turned 24, is a full year older.
They turn on me for support, which is kind of insane,” Jones remarked last week following the Steelers’ conclusion of formal team workouts. “Last year, I was exactly in their position. They are doing fantastic, and I try to help them as much as I can.”
Jones is contributing to the rookies’ lowered learning curve, and the player whose spot Jones will eventually take has taken note of his efforts.
I like how he’s leading, how he’s helping out the younger guys,” left tackle Dan Moore Jr said. “He’s helping Zach in meetings by sitting next to him, helping Troy after practice. It’s cool to just see a young guy who I was helping last year transition into a leader and now helping that younger guy.
“That’s what it’s all about.”
Jones may be able to relate to Fautanu better than the rookie inside lineman. After starting 29 of his 31 games at left tackle for Washington, Fautanu is now being used at right tackle. Although Jones started 10 of his 11 games as a rookie on the right side, he made all 19 of his career starts at Georgia at left tackle.
Jones has received the majority of first-team reps at right tackle during spring training, with Fautanu mainly working with the second team. This drill regimen may carry on until Jones returns to left tackle for the Steelers.
Jones is pleased with Fautanu’s handling of the changeover.
He declared, “He can be anything he wants to be.” “He possesses the talent, the size, and the ability. It all comes down to what makes him feel at ease. It requires patience, time, and repetition if he’s not playing comfortably. He will be fine if he can enter this place, absorb as much information as possible, and avoid overanalyzing everything.
“He listens well and plays well. He knows football. I think he’ll be alright in the end.
The Steelers believe Jones will be OK in the long run as well when he inevitably replaces Moore. Jones is accustomed to facing questions about their roles on the offense line but has shown maturity in the way he has handled it.
“We don’t look at it as a competition between us,” Jones said. “I feel like that is one of our best qualities. As offensive tackles, we help each other out as much as possible. Me and Dan hang out all the time. He comes over to my house, and we hang out. Yeah, we know it’s a competition, and everybody knows it’s a competition — coach lets us know it’s a competition — but at the end of the day I don’t feel like it is or look at it like that.
There is no ill will amongst individuals.
Instead, Jones would rather concentrate on guiding the three rookie linemen away from the mistakes he made the previous season. Jones, who was seen as a raw talent when he left Georgia, started the season as Moore’s backup and wasn’t given a full-time starting role until Week 9, when veteran right tackle Chuks Okorafor was benched.
According to Jones, he has discussed “everything all the way down from how you set, the footwork to the hand placement” with the newcomers.
As you get to the next level, you have a lot of new stuff to learn,” he stated. “You must approach it methodically. It cannot be hurried through. One thing needs to be your primary focus, something you must commit to and become your greatest asset. When you haven’t mastered the first task, you can’t attempt to go on to the next one the following day.
I carried out that action last year. I made an effort to move quickly and finish it. Hopefully it is helpful and they learn from it.
Another piece of advise from Jones to his colleagues is to not expect to dominate one-on-one situations the way they did in college.
He declared, “It won’t be all sunshine and roses.” “You will suffer a beating. You will not win. You must make adjustments and return there.
Although Moore is grateful for Jones’ increased leadership role, he is making every effort to contain the second-year tackle.
Moore stated, “We’re still going to give him instructions because he needs them.” However, he now has some experience. He is aware that he will need to take on a more significant role this year.
