Broderick Jones applauds Pittsburgh Steelers fans

After a loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones vented his frustration by taking to Twitter to engage with fans who criticized his performance.

There was no shortage of examples on Jones’ page, and he wasted no time in actively engaging with fans’ responses.

He has come under a lot of scrutiny recently, much of which is unwarranted. Jones’ career hasn’t exactly gotten off to a perfect start since he was taken 14th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, but it’s clear that the organization believes he has what it takes to earn a starting position in the coming years secure.

Essentially, he handled all the criticism that was thrown at him publicly with grace, even if some of it felt like it went too far for one reason or another. While it’s understandable that Jones’ frustration is boiling over, he’s more or less fueled the fire and given his critics exactly what they’re looking for.

He drew a lot of ire when he committed three penalties on a single second-quarter drive against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, relegating him to the bench for the remainder of the contest. Rookie Troy Fautanu grabbed the rest of the snaps at right tackle and played well, seemingly wresting the starting job away from Jones for good.

However, a season-ending injury to Fautanu just days later only increased Jones’ importance to the Steelers. According to Pro Football Focus, he was solid against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, allowing two pressures on 35 pass block reps, although he and the rest of the offensive line struggled in both the running and passing games against the Colts.

As Pittsburgh diagnoses what went wrong in Indianapolis, Jones must be part of the solution going forward. Although this situation doesn’t have a positive impact on anyone, it can easily be dismissed as an isolated incident when they find out what happens next.

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