Steelers Ship Former First-Rounder Broderick Jones to Cowboys Amid Neck Injury Concerns
Adam Schefter: 'Trade: the Steelers are sending 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones to the Dallas Cowboys, per source.'
The have officially pulled the plug on the Broderick Jones experiment, shipping the 2023 first-round pick to the . ESPN's Adam Schefter broke the news late Saturday night, confirming that the former 14th overall pick is heading to Texas just three years after Pittsburgh aggressively traded up to draft him.
Trading a first-round offensive tackle before his rookie deal even expires is the NFL equivalent of selling a car you just bought because the engine smokes every time you turn left. The Steelers are handing the keys to , and the Cowboys are hoping a fresh coat of paint fixes a very concerning under-the-hood problem.
The writing has been on the wall in for months. Jones recently suffered a setback to a neck injury he sustained last season, which is a massive red flag for a guy whose entire job involves violently colliding with 280-pound humans. The already declined his fifth-year option this offseason and drafted Max Iheanachor in the first round to take his job.
For , this is a classic high-upside, terrifying-floor gamble. The are coming off a 27-24 preseason loss to the and clearly feel the need to roll the dice on offensive line depth. If Jones is healthy, they just stole a premium talent. If his neck is cooked, they just traded draft capital for a guy who will spend the season in the trainer's room.
From a betting perspective, do not rush to hammer win totals just because they added a recognizable name. Futures markets rarely move on offensive line depth trades anyway, but the medical uncertainty here makes this a pure wait-and-see situation. You cannot block Micah Parsons in practice if you cannot pass a physical.
The immediate next step is the medical evaluation in . With the 2026 regular season knocking on the door, the need to figure out if Jones is a plug-and-play starter or a long-term rehab project. Until then, fans can officially close the book on one of their most frustrating recent draft misses.