Broderick Jones says the biggest adjustment in his first season under Mike McCarthy is a simple but important one: moving from a mostly two-point stance to putting his hand in the dirt on first-and-10. It is a small detail on paper, but for an offensive lineman, it changes the rhythm of the job.
Jones, a fourth-year player who spent his first three NFL seasons under Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, is dealing with a different kind of demand now. For the first time in his career, including college at Georgia, he is playing for an offensive-minded head coach, and that has brought a new emphasis on the run game.
A different starting point on run snaps
Jones was direct about what has changed most. “I would say just like the small details. Like, Coach McCarthy’s big on putting your hand down in the ground if it’s first in 10,” he said. He added that he has “always been out of like a two point,” so putting his hand in the dirt and playing out of a three-point stance is “a little bit different” for him.
That matters because the Steelers want to be a hard-nosed, physical team, and under McCarthy that identity starts with the run game. A tackle adjusting his stance sounds minor, but it is part of a broader shift in how the offense wants to line up and attack early-down football.
The early preseason numbers were steady, not special
The early returns have not been especially encouraging, even if the sample is still small. In the Steelers’ three preseason games, Jones played 140 snaps and graded out at 61.0 overall.
His run-game grade came in at 57.6, while his pass-blocking grade was 59.9. Those numbers suggest there is still work to do as he adapts to the new scheme and continues to get back up to speed after spinal-fusion surgery, while also trying to add weight.
That is why the next stretch matters. Jones is not just learning a new stance; he is trying to settle into a new offensive identity at a time when the Steelers need the run game to set the tone. The adjustment is still in progress, and the first regular-season tests will show how far he has come.
