Jones and Steelers Want to Run

by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published September 17, 2025, 3:52 PM

Pittsburgh, PA – One benefit of players such as Aaron Rodgers speaking after practice on the South Side of Pittsburgh is the way the media scrum naturally gravitates toward him, leaving room for quieter one-on-one conversations elsewhere in the locker room.

As Rodgers wrapped up his remarks, left tackle Broderick Jones made his way toward a small refrigerator stocked with cold drinks. The path from his locker to the cooler cut across an open space in the room, giving me just enough time to ask if he had a moment.

“How many questions you got?” Jones laughed, flashing an easy smile. “Yeah man, I got you.”

It was the kind of exchange that sets the tone for an honest conversation, and Jones didn’t hold back when asked about the Steelers’ offensive line and its early struggles in the run game.

“Just dominating the run game. You know, we haven’t really done that the first two weeks,” Jones said. “Looking back at it, we just want to get back to our style of football, which is running the football. So that’s what we look forward.”

That is the unmistakable truth facing Pittsburgh right now. Throughout two weeks, the Steelers have rushed for only 125 yards total as a team, ranking ahead of just two other NFL clubs. To put that number in perspective, there are 13 individual players with more rushing yards than the entire Steelers roster combined. Kenneth Walker III of the Seahawks, who gashed Pittsburgh for 107 yards in Sunday’s 31–17 loss, now sits tied with the Steelers’ entire output at 125 yards.

The razzle-dazzle of the Week 1 offense was quickly forgotten as the ugly familiarity of a sputtering run game returned against Seattle. This is a franchise long defined by its ability to run the football. From Franco Harris’s “Immaculate Reception” legacy to Jerome Bettis bulldozing defenses, to more recent stars like Le’Veon Bell and even the hard-nosed contributions of Willie Parker, the Steelers’ identity has been tied to the ground game. For Pittsburgh, not being able to establish the run feels like more than just a tactical failure.

It strikes at the very pride of the Steel City.

Jones understands that legacy and doesn’t shy away from the responsibility. When asked about the young combination of himself on the left side and rookie Troy Fautanu lining up opposite him, his confidence was evident.

“Oh, yeah, we definitely have the line to do it,” Jones said. “And I don’t want to keep saying we’re young, because everybody knows that, but at some point we got to start gelling and hitting that learning curve a little quicker, just for the development of this team. So, you know, that’s what we’re trying to do, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. Me and Troy, you know, new. We’re both similarly new, because I’m back at left, you know, he missed most of last year with his injury. So, you know, we’re fairly new just trying to continue to work and continue to push, you know, just putting our best foot forward and trying to help this team as much out as we can.”

There’s no skirting the issue Pittsburgh’s offensive line hasn’t looked the part yet. But Jones refuses to let youth or inexperience be an excuse. That extends beyond the trenches as well, where new faces on offense and a quarterback transition are natural storylines.

“It does play a part, but not as such a major part as people may think, though,” Jones admitted. “Um, so, yeah, I would say it does. But, you know, we, like I said, we can’t continue to make, like, try and make excuses, you know, like, I’m big on, you know, just trying to self-improve. So, you know, I’m not trying to look for those easy ways out and trying to blame someone else. So, you know, I just try and continue to put that on me, and continue to just grow as a player.”

That blend of honesty and accountability is what coaches preach and what teammates respect. The reality is, the Steelers have to figure it out on the ground and soon. A team that once wore its rushing attack as a badge of honor now finds itself buried near the bottom of the NFL rankings.

History says Pittsburgh is at its best when the running game sets the tone, keeping defenses honest and allowing everything else to fall into place. For Jones, the mission is clear, embrace the struggle, grow with his fellow linemen, and bring back the punishing ground attack that has long defined the franchise.

The words were simple, but they carried the weight of tradition.

“Just dominating the run game… that’s our style of football.”

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com