{"id":51946,"date":"2025-05-29T03:07:25","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T03:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51946"},"modified":"2025-05-29T03:07:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T03:07:25","slug":"key-steelers-starter-reveals-major-weight-change-ahead-of-pivotal-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51946","title":{"rendered":"Key Steelers Starter Reveals Major Weight Change Ahead of Pivotal Season.."},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\" class=\"wp-caption \">\n<div class=\"h-responsive\">\n<figure class=\"h-responsive__inner\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-featured-image size-featured-image wp-post-image\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Broderick-Jones2-e1748459397574.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Broderick-Jones2-e1748459397574.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Broderick-Jones2-e1748459397574.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Broderick-Jones2-e1748459397574.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones at OTAs.\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" data-img-load-time=\"673\" data-dom-ready-time=\"729\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"caption-credit\">Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"c-post-image-caption-text\">Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones relays weight loss at OTAs.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0OTAs are underway, and former first-round pick and projected left tackle\u00a0Broderick Jones\u00a0revealed a major change in his physical appearance on May 28.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBroderick Jones said he\u2019s slimmed down this offseason,\u201d\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s Mike DeFabo reported\u00a0on May 28. \u201c[Jones] played last year at about 325 [pounds] and is around 305 [pounds] now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Which means Jones has lost about 20 pounds heading into Steelers camp.<\/p>\n<p>So, is Jones\u2019 weight loss a positive or negative development? Considering he plays offensive line.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Jones] said [slimming down] gives him a chance to gain weight during the season,\u201d DeFabo continued on X. \u201cAlso should help him regain some mobility, which is the strength of his game.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Broderick Jones\u2019 Weight Loss at Steelers OTAs Is a Good Sign<\/h2>\n<p>So long as Jones gains the right sort of weight back while training with the Steelers staff this summer, this should be looked at as a great sign for a couple of reasons.<\/p>\n<p>One, it shows commitment and dedication from Jones, who has clearly been working hard over the offseason.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s often a sign that a player doesn\u2019t care when they show up to OTAs overweight or out of shape. Jones has done the opposite, displaying that he\u2019s well aware this could be a make-or-break season for him in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>Two, DeFabo cited Jones\u2019 \u201cmobility,\u201d noting that the weight loss could help him regain that.<\/p>\n<p>NFL edge rushers get faster and more athletic every season, and offensive tackles can no longer succeed as an immobile wall. They must be able to move with the opposing pass rusher, step for step, and Jones\u2019 quickness will be just as important as his size and strength.<\/p>\n<p>Assuming he keeps his strength up at 305, adding mobility will be a welcome sight.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Pressure Is on Broderick Jones &amp; Steelers OL to Perform in 2025<\/h2>\n<p>No matter who\u2019s at quarterback, the Steelers offense will want to run the football in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ll also need to protect the QB on passing downs and play action, as is the case with every NFL team, putting the pressure squarely on recent draft picks like Jones,\u00a0Troy Fautanu\u00a0and\u00a0Zach Frazier.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo position group should face more scrutiny this season than the offensive line,\u201d DeFabo responded to a fan\u00a0during a mailbag post on May 9. \u201c[Steelers GM Omar] Khan has taken a patient, trench-oriented approach to roster building. He\u2019s passed on polarizing skill position players and instead loaded up on linemen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the Steelers want to play this brand of football, the offensive line needs to be the reason the team is winning games in December,\u201d the reporter went on at the time. Adding: \u201cThe line failed that test last year against Philadelphia and Baltimore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re going to know a lot more about how this team is trending based on how well the line plays this season,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, on May 27, veteran beat writer\u00a0Mark Kaboly argued\u00a0that the development of the Steelers\u2019 OL is a \u201cbigger deal\u201d for Pittsburgh than storylines like\u00a0Aaron Rodgers\u00a0and the\u00a0George Pickens\u00a0trade.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe group went through their growing pains a year ago, but the expectations placed on them are as high as ever for the unit with the return of Fautanu following an early-season injury that ruined his rookie year, Jones flipping over to his more natural left tackle spot and a year under the belts of Frazier and\u00a0[Mason] McCormick as starters,\u201d Kaboly reasoned within.<\/p>\n<p>Heading into year three of his rookie contract with a fifth-year option decision on the horizon in 2026, the pressure and expectations are on Jones more than most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Getty Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones relays weight loss at OTAs. Pittsburgh Steelers\u00a0OTAs are underway, and former first-round pick and projected left tackle\u00a0Broderick Jones\u00a0revealed a major&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Key Steelers Starter Reveals Major Weight Change Ahead of Pivotal Season.. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=51946\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Key Steelers Starter Reveals Major Weight Change Ahead of Pivotal Season.. - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Getty Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones relays weight loss at OTAs. 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