Cowboys To Acquire T Broderick Jones From Steelers

Pittsburgh used first-round picks on tackles in ’23 (Jones), ’24 (Troy Fautanu) and ’26 (Max Iheanachor). Jones will be shipped out in a contract year and coming off a significant injury. Jones did not excel at left or right tackle before his injury, and a November 2025 shutdown led to spinal fusion surgery. While the former No. 14 overall pick was iffy for training camp, he did avoid the active/PUP list. But a recent report indicated he is not yet 100% in terms of strength or technique.

Dallas had been searching for help at swing tackle, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer notes, adding Jones could potentially compete with longtime RT starter Terence Steele. Jones, 25, probably would have been a long shot to see his fifth-year option exercised regardless of the injury, but the health issue made the Steelers’ decision to pass on a $19.07MM 2027 guarantee easy.

Faring remarkably well in identifying first-round O-linemen over the past decade and a half, the Cowboys have not seen their Tyler Guyton selection pay off just yet. Guyton, Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker are far from the Tyron Smith-Travis Frederick–Zack Martin trio, though it is still quite early. While two of the three Tylers on this line are locked-in starters, Guyton entered camp as a question mark. Dallas is planning to leave the 2024 first-rounder at left tackle, but former UDFA Nathan Thomas pushed him for the job.

While the Cowboys are way up on the Pickens trade scorecards, Jones did not show nearly as much promise as a Steeler. The Jets were believed to have wanted Jones, but after the Aaron Rodgers trade dropped them from No. 13 to No. 15, the Patriots traded the No. 14 selection to the Steelers.

Jones has made 38 career starts. He initially ended the Chukwuma Okorafor RT period in Pittsburgh via an in-season replacement and stayed there in 2024, as LT Dan Moore Jr. played out his contract. After the Titans appeared to overpay Moore in free agency last year, the Steelers kicked Jones to LT — his primary college position. Pro Football Focus ranked Jones 66th among all tackles last season; though, that was one spot ahead of Guyton’s 2025 placement.

Stetson Bennett‘s former Georgia blind-sider earned first-team All-SEC acclaim during the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship-winning season, but he needs a contract-year resurgence to command much as a prospective 2027 free agent. The Steelers made their 2023 draft class impactful by adding Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Darnell Washington and Nick Herbig. It is not certain Pittsburgh will pay Porter before the season, but the team locked down Benton, Washington and Herbig this offseason. Jones was not guaranteed a starting spot, though, after the Iheanachor pick.

Fautanu is set to move from RT to LT ahead of his third season, and Dylan Cook has been taking extensive first-team work on the other side. Cook has also been playing some left tackle as of late, perhaps as Pittsburgh readies Iheanachor for RT duty. Although Jones may not be 100%, he played in each Pittsburgh preseason game. That included 37 snaps in the team’s preseason finale, which effectively doubled as his final audition for Dallas.

Iheanachor was viewed as a raw prospect, beginning his football career rather late (for an NFL first-rounder, that is), but the Jones trade removes a key guardrail for the Arizona State-developed lineman. When the Steelers are ready, they will likely use Fautanu and Iheanachor as their starters and Cook as the swingman. Fautanu can be controlled through 2028 via his fifth-year option, Iheanachor through 2030 on his.

With Jones playing LT in college and in 2025 and playing on the right side from 2023-24 in Pittsburgh, the Cowboys have an interesting swing option. It will be interesting to see if Dallas gives strong consideration to Jones replacing Guyton at LT or Steele at RT. The NFC East team will likely enter the season with those returning starters reprising the roles, but Jones should provide an upgrade as a swing option. His Cowboys playing time will go a long way toward determining his 2027 earning power.

Dallas is also releasing wide receiver Denzel Mims, per Archer. The team had signed Mims, a 2020 Jets second-round pick, out of the UFL in June.