Mike Tomlin is no longer the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, but his Tomlinisms still echo around the South Side facility, through the media landscape, and even in the fanbase.
One Tomlinism that is currently ringing in my head is “one man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.”
That saying comes to mind because of the Steelers’ situation with rookie offensive tackle Max Iheanachor and what it could — and should — mean for veteran Broderick Jones.
Iheanachor remains out with a neck/shoulder injury and is unlikely to play Friday night in the second preseason game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium, according to first-year head coach Mike McCarthy. Potentially missing his second straight preseason game puts his chances of winning the starting right tackle battle with veteran Dylan Cook in jeopardy.
What it should do is open the door for Jones to get into the mix on the right side, though, especially after Cook looked rather shaky in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers.
After all, Jones has nearly 1,700 career snaps at right tackle. It’s a position he’s quite familiar with in Pittsburgh.
Entering the NFL as a first-round pick out of Georgia in 2023 after the Steelers traded up to land him at No. 13 overall, Jones slid over to the right side of the offensive line. Veteran Dan Moore Jr. was entrenched at left tackle, and Chukwuma Okorafor left much to be desired at right tackle.
Jones ultimately took over midway through his rookie season and held the starting job through the 2024 season before flipping to the right side. While he struggled on the right side, allowing 72 pressures and 14 sacks across two seasons, he started to play better football down the stretch in 2024.
Then, he flipped to left tackle for 2025, started slow with three sacks allowed in the opener, and then settled in before his Week 12 injury ended his season. Now, he’s behind Troy Fautanu at left tackle, and he’s still working his way back from the injury.
In the preseason opener against Green Bay, Jones played a team-high 49 snaps and allowed just two pressures and one sack. For his first action back after spinal fusion surgery, there was quite a bit to be encouraged by.
Former Steelers offensive lineman Trai Essex raved about Jones, stating he’s good enough to be starting somewhere.
He is. It should be in Pittsburgh at right tackle, too.
That’s not a knock on Cook, either. It’s about putting the best five out there under new offensive line coaches James Campen and Jahri Evans. The Steelers under McCarthy have talked time and time again about flexibility and versatility, especially in the trenches. Jones has that in abundance, and is the best answer at right tackle right now, especially with Iheanachor unlikely to be ready to go physically before the start of the season.
Pittsburgh has had Jones work at both tackle positions during training camp. It’s time the Steelers give Jones snaps at right tackle Friday night and see what he has.
If he’s better than Cook, Jones should be the guy moving forward, at least until Iheanachor is ready. The opportunity just has to be presented to him, though.
