The Broderick Jones trade to the Dallas Cowboys looks like a move the Pittsburgh Steelers may already be happy they made. This summer, the Steelers sent Jones to Dallas and received a third-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2027 in return.
The deal also gave Dallas Jones and a 2027 fourth-round selection, but the key takeaway for Pittsburgh is simple: the Steelers turned a player who did not secure a roster spot into additional draft capital.
Why the Steelers moved on
Jones spent training camp battling for a starting job and then trying to make the Steelers roster. The fact that Pittsburgh was willing to move him before the season shows how far things had gone from where the team likely expected them to be when it brought him in.
The trade is being framed as a move away from a player who became a bust of the Omar Khan era, and that context matters. For a former first-round pick, failing to establish a clear role is a major setback. For the Steelers, it also meant the decision was not simply about waiting longer on development. It was about cutting losses and getting something back while there was still value to move.
What Pittsburgh got back
The return gives the Steelers a third-round pick and a sixth-rounder in 2027. That kind of future draft capital can matter for a team trying to keep adding young talent, especially when the alternative was keeping a player who was no longer projecting as part of the roster picture.
Whether the trade ends up being a clear win will depend on what Pittsburgh does with those picks and how Jones fits in Dallas. But from the Steelers' perspective, the move at least created value out of an increasingly uncertain situation.
