The Pittsburgh Steelers were forced to start Broderick Jones ahead of whatever their initial plan was for him after veteran tackle Dan Moore Jr. injured his knee in Week 4 versus the Houston Texans.
There’s no higher praise than that from the guy your job is to protect, and Kenny Pickett had it in spades after his first career start in Week 5.
“He did a great job,” Pickett said of Jones. “When Brod came in, he prepared hard. I’m really proud of his preparation, the energy and the enthusiasm he brought.”
Pickett commended the offensive tackle unit as a whole, noting that Moore guided him after getting drafted by Pittsburgh.
“I think that they do a great job in that room. Dan [Moore] obviously was in there helping him out as much as he could to get ready to go, so they all worked together, and it was good.”
Offensive line coach Pat Meyer said they have to evaluate everything once Moore is healthy enough to return. “Once Dan gets back, obviously we’ve gotta evaluate everything,” Meyer said. “Dan played well when he was in there before the injury, too. He played against Nick Bosa, he played against Myles Garrett, he played against Maxx Crosby.”
Saying that Moore played well is a massive overstatement. Though he was only charged with one sack in the Week 1 San Francisco 49ers matchup, he’s allowed consistent pressure on Pickett from the first snap. And we know he hasn’t exactly been poised in the pocket under pressure. Moore has permitted 21 QB pressures for an average 23.7 percent pressure rate through four games.
The future is now with Broderick Jones. The Steelers traded up to snag him for a reason. It’s a small sample size, and there will naturally be hiccups, but the rookie has shown there’s no sense in reverting to Moore at this stage in the season.
