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The Pittsburgh Steelers are declining tackle Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Thursday night.
Jones, who turns 25 next month, suffered a season-ending neck injury in a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears and had offseason surgery. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to return by training camp or the start of the season.
Sources previously told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Jones had a setback in his recovery a week prior to the NFL draft. The Steelers then selected developmental tackle Max Iheanachor with their first-round pick (No. 21) and then added to the interior of the line by drafting Iowa guard Gennings Dunker in the third round.
General manager Omar Khan admitted Jones' injury was a factor in drafting Iheanachor.
"Sure, that's a little bit of a concern," Khan said last week. "… You guys all hear me talk about versatility, too, and we got guys on the offensive line that can play different positions in the offensive line. And as I mentioned, we have options."
The Steelers drafted Jones in 2023, trading up to grab him with the No. 14 pick in Khan's first draft as general manager. Jones made the majority of his 27 starts in 2023 and 2024 at right tackle opposite of Dan Moore. When Moore departed in free agency in 2025, Jones moved to the left side, where the Steelers ultimately viewed him at the time he was drafted out of Georgia. Jones started 11 games at left tackle in 2025 prior to his injury.
The Steelers used their first-round pick in 2024 on tackle Troy Fautanu. After missing the majority of his rookie season with a knee injury, Fautanu started all 17 games at right tackle last season.
The Steelers didn't divulge their plans for Iheanachor or the rest of the offensive line after drafting the Arizona State product last week, but they praised the group's versatility.
"The longer I do this, it takes the whole group to get through the season," coach Mike McCarthy said when asked about his approach to assembling and developing the offensive line. "So how we train them together with inner-position flexibility will be a big part of our decisions on how we start."
