Why the Steelers trading Broderick Jones was predictable

Only three years after drafting Broderick Jones in the first round, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave up on him and traded him away to the Dallas Cowboys. A move that made the once-promising offensive lineman a bust, at least from his time in Pittsburgh, was sent to Dallas for a fourth-round pick in exchange for a future third- and sixth-round pick.

But while some may be surprised the Steelers, even now under a new head coach, would trade someone they once viewed as an anchor for their offensive line so soon before a season is about to get underway, it actually makes plenty of sense. The writing was on the wall for a while. 

Broderick Jones recently voiced frustration in how he was handled 

Just one week before the trade, Jones, 25, offered a candid response to a question about how he was being handled after the Steelers' 17-0 loss to the Jets in their second preseason game. And Jones' answer, especially on the heels of being blamed for giving up two sacks, made his feelings of disdain clear, something his new head coach Mike McCarthy took as a sign the relationship had to come to an end. 

"I would rather not," said Jones when asked directly about being moved around. "Me coming back from injury, I would rather not swing like that. I would rather stick to one side and just continue to focus on that one side, but wherever the team needs me — that’s right and left — I just gotta continue to get better so I can help my team."

McCarthy, like most NFL teams today, and even most major college programs for that matter, strives to make his lineman as versatile as possible. That was the driving force behind trying Jones at both right and left tackle spots. However, Jones, who opened the 2025 season as Pittsburgh's left tackle a year removed from starting the 2024 season at right tackle, very obviously didn't enjoy the lack of consistency.   

Jones failed to lock down a position with the Steelers 

But Jones, a two-time college national champion at Georgia, a program that usually breeds NFL linemen, had also yet to lock down consistent play at a particular position either. If he had, maybe he would've been granted his wish of not having to "swing like that" as much. 

He was highly scrutinized for being credited with allowing three sacks to Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 against the Jets last season, although to his credit, he only gave up three more during a span from Week 2 to Week 10. A neck injury cost Jones the rest of the year and led to offseason surgery. 

There were signs the Steelers were going to trade Jones 

The Steelers then declined the fifth-year option on Jones' contract, making him a free agent after the 2026 season, which was a tip that a trade was to come unless he solidified an important role on the offensive line throughout training camp, something that didn't happen. 

All in all, it wasn't hard to read the tea leaves about a Jones trade coming. However, it also makes sense for the Cowboys to be willing to take a shot on a talented lineman with many more years still in front of him.