INDIANAPOLIS — Three months after suffering a neck injury that prematurely ended his 2025 season, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones continues to recover.
While a lack of full health in late winter and early spring typically wouldn’t matter all that much, the murkiness around Jones’ status could have long-term ramifications for him and the Steelers.
The team has a May 1 deadline to exercise a fifth-year option on Jones for the 2027 NFL season. General manager Omar Khan was noncommittal about the Steelers’ plans in that regard.
“Obviously, he had a significant injury,” Khan said from the site of the NFL Combine, “and we’re monitoring how he progresses. I know he’s working hard, and it’s still early in the process. That’s certainly something that we’re monitoring.”
Jones was Khan’s first draft pick as Steelers general manager, No. 14 overall in 2023. He’s started 38 games over his three NFL seasons, moving from the right side to left tackle last year. But Jones was benched in 2024 and his play was up-and-down in 2025 — albeit, trending up as the season progressed before the injury.
But was it good enough for the Steelers to commit to paying him roughly $20.3 million in 2027 — especially because he’s dealing with a somewhat scary injury to a volatile part of his body?
Compounding matters is that the player who replaced Jones in the lineup after his injury last season, Dylan Cook, was lauded for his play after stepping in.
A former undrafted free agent who had begun his college career as a junior-college quarterback, Cook started five games (including playoffs) as a 27-year-old making his NFL regular-season debut last season.
“Dylan did a really good job for us when he had to come in,” Khan said. “He really did, and I wasn’t surprised because I’ve seen his work ethic and how important it is to him. He’s got the quarterback background, and I think that helped him. He’s a good player, and he stepped in and played at a good level.”
