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Pittsburgh Steelers' recent first-round pick finds himself under the most pressure to perform ahead of 2025 training camp

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Rob Gregson | Last updated Jul 14, 2025 7:37 AM ET

In just nine days, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be in Latrobe to begin their preparations for the 2025 season.

And while a lot of the talk surrounds Aaron Rodgers or T.J. Watt, what if I told you that the offense, and in large part the team, will go as far as their offensive line takes them?

And what if I told you that the line hinges on how well a third-year player performs at left tackle? Because that's the exact case...

Broderick Jones under most pressure to perfrom in 2025

The long-term impact that the 2025 season will have on Broderick Jones' career can't be overstated. For the first time since joining the team, he is slated to start at left tackle in the NFL. Up to this point, he took most of his snaps at RT, and it hasn't always looked great...

Rough outing for the #Steelers offense vs. Buffalo

Sack 1: Broderick Jones gets into his pass set fast, but there's no punch and no anchor.

Not going to make excuses for him, but Najee Harris either needs to chip or just get out into the flat here. Just muddies the picture. pic.twitter.com/Orm3fb7siB
— Rob Gregson (@NFL_Rob) August 19, 2024

The Steelers' passing offense will be predicated on protection like never before. With two tackles in Jones and Troy Fautanu, who have taken minimal reps at their respective positions, they have to learn and learn fast.

Aaron Rodgers isn't getting any younger, and while the erosion of his skillset tends to be a bit hyperbolic, he's not the athlete that beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl over 15 years ago.

But at least with Fautanu, he's only a second-year pro, and given his return from knee injury, he's basically a rookie when accounting for in-game experience. Jones on the other hand, is headed into the pivotal year three in the NFL.

Not only does he have to excel and show why the Steelers traded up to select him in round 1 in 2023, but he has to show that he's worthy of his fifth-year option. How well or poorly he plays this season will have a direct impact on what the Steelers do with his option in 2026.

How viable the team's passing offense looks, how upright the team keeps Aaron Rodgers, and how long he has in Pittsburgh are all to be determined by Jones when things start next week.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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