The Steelers were in a hurry to add tackle Broderick Jones to the roster in the first round of the draft, so they made a trade with the Patriots to jump up three spots in order to nab him with the 14th overall pick.
They have not shown the same urgency when it comes to moving Jones into the starting lineup. Dan Moore got the start at left tackle in the preseason opener with Jones coming in as part of the second team and that’s also been the way the playing time has broken down during the team’s training camp practices.
It’s an arrangement that might take some by surprise given the move the Steelers made to acquire Jones, but it suits Jones well. He said he likes “to feel things out” and isn’t looking at it as “a battle” with Moore so much as a chance to learn from a more experienced teammate.
“So I feel like it’s an asset for me just to sit back and watch somebody, you know, who’s older, who’s done it for years,” Jones said, via Will Graves of the Associated Press. “So just being able to sit back, watch what works for him, what doesn’t, you know, try to implement those small things into my game, you know, I feel like that’s a plus.”
There’s not a need to delve too far back into Steelers history to find an example of a first-round pick opening the year on the bench before moving into a starting role. Quarterback Kenny Pickett did it last year and Jones could be on a similar trajectory for his first NFL season.