Mike Prisuta

The Steelers drafted Broderick Jones with the expectation to eventually play him at left offensive tackle, but they did so with a caveat.

It might take a while for Jones to get there.

"I'm not going to predict when or what year," general manager Omar Khan maintained upon reporting to training camp at Saint Vincent College last summer.

A year later, and two seasons after the Steelers traded up three spots to select Jones 14th overall in 2023, Jones' time on the left side has finally arrived.

And with last year's No. 1 pick, Troy Fautanu, penciled in as the right tackle after losing almost all of his rookie season to injury, the Steelers, in theory, have their bookends in place up front.

"We have two good, young, athletic tackles that should have years of successful football ahead of them in the NFL," offensive line coach Pat Meyer assessed.

Jones was viewed as one of those when he was drafted after having started 19 of the 32 games he played in three seasons at Georgia. But with Dan Moore Jr. already in place and providing steady play at left tackle and a need eventually arising to get more than the Steelers were getting from Chukwuma Okorafor on the right side, Jones wound up making 12 of his 13 starts as a rookie at right tackle, including the Steelers' playoff loss at Buffalo (the exception was a fill-in assignment when Moore came up unavailable for a Week Five game against Baltimore).

Jones opened last season at right tackle, as well. But the Steelers opted to start Fautanu, the 20th overall pick in 2024, for their Week Two visit to Denver. Jones rotated in early by design but struggled and was eventually benched.

Fautanu played 83 percent of the offensive snaps against the Broncos, but a knee injury ultimately ensured the 55 snaps he played at Denver would be his last in 2024.

Jones started the final 16 games at right tackle in succession, including the Steelers' playoff loss at Baltimore.

Now, with Fautanu healthy again and Moore having left for Tennessee via unrestricted free agency Jones is back on the left side.

Khan might finally have his answer.

It's the position the Steelers intended Jones to play for the long haul all along, but Meyer rejects the notion that left tackle is Jones' "natural" position.

"He may feel more comfortable there, it wasn't like he had had a million reps," Meyer maintained. "It was our need to move Broderick to right (tackle), Broderick came in, did what he did, I thought he did well.

"It's hard to play those positions as a first- and second-year guy. But it's year three now, he's back to left, he feels more comfortable at left, great. Let's go out there and get it done."

Meyer, likewise, disputes the theory Jones was playing out of position when he was playing on the right side.

"I don't buy into any of that," Meyer continued. "'You're a professional football player. We put you here, you go out there and work your tail off and play to the best of your ability.' And that's what he did. We move him to left, he feels more natural there, great. We'll continue to work it and continue to have him grow into that position."

Jones, who turned 24 in May, enters his third season having started 27 of 34 regular-season games and both of his playoff games in his first two seasons with the Steelers.

He's never publicly complained about where he's been played, even though 28 of his 29 career starts, including the postseason, have come on the right side.

He characterized his return to left tackle as "a bigger boost for me" during OTAs.

"When they initially moved me to right tackle and I played it for so long, and then they tried to make me, like, the swing tackle, it was kinda funky," Jones acknowledged. "But I knew I would be going back to left (tackle), so this offseason I just tried to focus on nothing but the left side and just continue to work that way just to try and get back the feel of the position.

"Confidence is always high. Being back on the left I feel like it's a bigger boost for me just because I've been used to playing on the left side. Being out here going against people like (outside linebacker) Alex (Highsmith) and Nick (Herbig), it really helps with the confidence level. When you're able to block guys like that you feel like you can do it at any level versus anybody."

With his confidence in tact, the goal now for Jones is consistency.

"Broderick came in off the bench his rookie year, played some games, had his ups and downs, like they all do," Meyer said. "Broderick did a lot of good things last year, he knows it.

"We gotta be more consistent. We all gotta be more consistent, that's the big thing. And he knows that and he's working to do that, consistently get better from a fundamental standpoint, technique standpoint and just understanding and learning what we're trying to get done. Just continue to grow in that respect."