LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — At the time, Broderick Jones thought it was no big deal.
Walking off the field in Chicago last November after taking an awkward hit from Bears defensive end Dominique Robinson — whose chest smacked into the top of Jones' helmet after trying and failing to knock down a pass — the Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle figured he had a stinger, an injury that's typically painful in the moment before fading quickly.
When the Steelers returned
home following a narrow 31-28 loss, Jones even told head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah he'd never felt better the day after a game.
“He was like, ‘I don’t know how, because you’re done,’" Jones said.
A sequence Jones initially thought was innocuous — a “football play” as he described it — ended with the former first-round pickbeing placed on injured reserve and requiring season-ending fusion surgery and a lengthy rehab that put his long-term status in Pittsburgh in doubt.
The Steelers declined to pick up Jones' fifth-year option, and by selecting Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick in the draft, they sent out an unsubtle hint they were laying the groundwork to move on from the player they once viewed as a major foundational piece.
Jones understands the move wasn't personal. He found himself in Iheanachor's spot when he entered the league in 2023, where he supplanted Chukwuma Okorafor at right tackle before taking over for Dan Moore at left tackle in 2025.
“It wasn’t really a shock for me because I was hurt,” Jones said. “You never know what the future holds. So it’s a business decision on their part. I just got to continue what I can do for the team and then just try and go from there.”
Where Jones went during the second day of training camp on Thursday was a place he hadn't been in quite a while. While Iheanachor, Dylan Cook and Troy Fautanu worked in a tackle rotation protecting Aaron Rodgers, Jones was with the backups as he tries to recover the strength lost during months of inactivity.
The 6-foot-5 Jones is at around 300 pounds, about 10-15 pounds under where he'd like to be. While he's been cleared for full contact and described the results of recent MRI tests as “great," the road back to being close to where he was will be a long one. Whether he gets there while still in Pittsburgh is anyone's guess.
“I’m still working through it,” he said. “I wouldn’t say I’m where I want to be at, you know, just trying to get back in shape and putting the weight back on in the right places.”
He hasn't lacked for support. He occasionally met with Steelers defensive back Asante Samuel Jr., who underwent a similar surgery in April 2025. Friend and longtime teammate Darnell Washington, who played alongside Jones during their college days at Georgia before both headed to Pittsburgh following the 2023 draft, isn't worried about Jones finding his way.
It's funny how things turn out. The days after the draft, Jones was the sure thing and Washington was the long-term project. Washington is now a fixture in Pittsburgh after signing a new deal in the spring while Jones' status remains uncertain at best.
“He knows whatever path he goes down, he knows if he’s here, if he's somewhere else, he knows that at the end of the day, me and him is brothers, through whatever happens,” Washington said.
Jones isn't ready to move on just yet. He is doing his best to be patient, in part because he doesn't have much choice. He views his injury as a “wrong place, wrong time scenario" and nothing more. It's football. Things happen.
If anything, he learned his technique could use some work. If he's standing a little more upright on the play where he got hurt instead of shooting forward and leaning, things might have gone differently. The darkest moment of his career may also turn out to be a teachable moment, too, in more ways than one.
Asked if he believes he can be a starter again, perhaps even this year, Jones didn't hesitate when he replied “yes.” Just not this week. Or next week either.
“I’m not trying to rush trying to get back into the starting lineup because, you know, there's things and plans in place for that,” he said. “So I’m just trying to stay the course.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
