Broderick Jones, As Half Of Steelers’ OL, May Be the Achilles Heel Derailing Pittsburgh’s Season, Chris Lengthy Says
Because the Pittsburgh Steelers navigate the early grind of the 2025 season, one voice from the media world is already pointing fingers at what might develop into their largest remorse. On a current episode of the Inexperienced Mild with Chris Lengthy podcast, the previous NFL defensive finish didn’t mince phrases concerning the Black and Gold’s offseason priorities. With Aaron Rodgers, now 42 and slinging it from the Metal Metropolis, the strain is on and never simply the sort coming from opposing move rushers.
Lengthy, who is aware of a factor or two about terrorizing quarterbacks, targeted on Pittsburgh’s offensive line because the potential “Achilles heel” that the group may remorse come January.
“I believe the largest Achilles heel that the Steelers are gonna look again on this season and say we had was, we spent all this cash on protection. And we put a 42-year-old quarterback behind this offensive line,” Lengthy stated of the Steelers’ offensive line, in response to audio through the podcast.
It’s a blunt evaluation, however one which resonates after two weeks of soccer. Rodgers has been sacked seven instances already, with three of these falling on the shoulders of left deal with Broderick Jones.
“We stated coming into the season he can be a fish. And I don’t imply like a faculty sort of fish. I’m speaking about like he’s simply grabby and he’s a giant, bodily participant, however he overextends and you may beat him quick,” Lengthy stated of Jones. “The irony is although, I regarded on the prime strain charges that offensive tackles have been giving up and his time to strain was like method longer than the opposite guys on the record, which tells you that [Aaron] Rodgers is holding onto the ball a bit of bit longer as a result of him and his receivers aren’t on the identical web page but.”
Lengthy’s critique was laser-focused on the deal with place, calling out Jones alongside a pair of struggling friends throughout the league.
Jones’s bodily instruments are plain, standing at 6 ft 5 inches and weighing 330 kilos. He’s a mauler within the run sport when he’s on.
However his move safety has been a unique story.
Regardless of touchdown within the prime three for uncooked strain charges allowed, Jones’ time to strain clocks in “method longer than the opposite guys on the record.” In plain English? It takes longer for rushers to get residence on Jones in comparison with his struggling counterparts. What does that inform us?
Rodgers is holding onto the soccer a bit longer, making issues tougher for his offensive line. In response to Professional Soccer Focus, Rodgers has a median Time To Throw of two.64 seconds by two weeks. That looks as if a very long time, but it surely’s truly the third-quickest TTT within the NFL, tied with the likes of Russell Wilson and Trevor Lawrence.
The Steelers aren’t panicking but. Rodgers’ poise masked some flaws within the opener. However Lengthy’s warning echoes a broader concern. Pittsburgh’s line, projected as mid-tier in preseason rankings, has underdelivered to date. Jones, specifically, faces make-or-break scrutiny.
