Steelers' Broderick Jones Could Use Strong Bond To Help UDFA Make The 53-Man Roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had an influx of young talent over the last two seasons, with plenty of young players being relied upon to make a strong impact. One of these players is Broderick Jones, who was the team's first-round pick during the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones will be starting at one of the Steelers tackle spots, but it is still up in the air which side of the line he will be on; and whether it will be opposite of Dan Moore Jr. or Troy Fautanu. 

Jones is a part of a trend and strategy the Steelers have shown throughout the last several drafts: acquire Georgia Bulldogs. In 2022, Pittsburgh drafted George Pickens. In 2023, the organization selected Jones and Darnell Washington. 

All three players were quintessential to the school's dynasty run between the 2021 and 2022 college football seasons, winning back to back National Championships. Pittsburgh didn't draft any Bulldogs during the 2024 NFL Draft, but they did sign Daijun Edwards as an undrafted free agent.

Edwards played running back at Georgia for four seasons from 2020 through 2023. Jones spoke about his close relationship with Edwards during an interview with College2Pro. 

"We’ve always had a little bit of a connection between us, We actually played in the Under Armour All-American Bowl. I really don’t remember it. But yeah, we definitely came in together. Always in the trenches together, him being behind me, trusting him and him trusting me just to be able to open the hole for him and him being able to hit that hole all the time. I feel like we’ve got a relationship with all our running backs, you know, because at Georgia, we tried to overemphasize running the football.”

Edwards played three seasons with Jones, while also overlapping with Washington and Pickens. He is making the jump to the NFL as an undrafted free agent. This makes him a long shot to make the final roster, but his existing relationships within the Steelers organization could pave the way to him making it past training camp.

It's important for running backs and their offensive linemen to understand each other on the field. Every running back has a different style. When Le'Veon Bell was still in Pittsburgh, his linemen had to understand that he was patient, and was in no rush to get out of the backfield. This makes pre-existing relationships between blockers and ball carriers so important.

Jones and Edwards played together for three years, and even played in an All-American game together in high school. There is a trust between the two of them that could lead to good results on the field. During Jones last season at Georgia in 2022, Edwards had 769 rushing yards and over 100 receiving yards. 

Pittsburgh has shown a lot of interest in Georgia players coming into the league. Edwards is still a long shot to make the team, but having these pre-existing relationships should give him a leg up over the other undrafted guys.

Steelers Already Have A Talented Running Back Room

Pittsburgh has one of the best back field duos in the NFL with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. They also went out and signed Cordarrelle Patterson during free agency. Harris and Warren will get the majority of the work load, with a couple designed plays likely being drawn up for Patterson. No one is up rooting Harris or Warren in the running back pecking order, as both players recorded over 1,000 scrimmage yards for the Steelers in 2023.

Edwards has already impressed some due to his performance at rookie minicamp. But, if Edwards wants a realistic chance to make the final roster, he is going to have to make an impact on special teams. With the new kickoff rules, he will need to showcase his blocking ability and tackling skills in order to keep his NFL dreams alive.