Broderick Jones is starting to dabble with the first-team offensive line, but not everyone is so sure that the idea is a good one at this point in the process. Long-respected NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell sees some concern with Jones potentially starting year one.
Joining the Ross Tucker Podcast for his AFC North preview, Cosell gave his thoughts on the first-round pick, and while he thinks there is plenty of talent there, Cosell is not sure that starting Jones in his first year in the NFL is such a great idea out of the gate.
“Based on tape study, I did not think Broderick Jones would be ready to start year one but I guess we’ll find that one out,” Cosell said. “They certainly have him penciled in, but I didn’t think Dan Moore had played poorly at left tackle for them. But they felt they needed an upgrade or they would not have drafted Broderick Jones in the first round.”
He is not the first person to raise concerns about Jones playing this early. In fact, his own teammate Kevin Dotson believed that Jones could potentially not play in his first year. Regardless, Isaac Seumalo, who has started to play alongside him, believes that Jones possesses rare tools that could allow him to start.
“Broderick has got all of the tools and athleticism in the world,” Seumalo said. “But obviously, offensive line is one of those things that takes time and experience. There are very rare guys that can come in and play right away. I think Broderick possesses those tools. Being able to know when to use each tool is the hard part of offensive line. He’s definitely an aggressive guy. He’s got all the tools.”
As of now, the competition between Moore and Jones is ongoing and should continue until at the very least the start of the season. Pittsburgh could decide to bring Jones along slowly if they see him struggling throughout the process to assuage some concerns that others have brought up.
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