Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones injured his neck in Week 12, landing on injured reserve. The team downplayed it, expecting him to return for the playoffs, but Jones didn’t play again last season.
Mike DeFabo of TheAthletic.com reports that Jones underwent fusion surgery.
That creates several problems for the Steelers.
They will have to decide by May 1 whether to exercise the fifth-year option on Jones’ contract, which will fully guarantee him $19.07 million for 2027. Jones also might miss time in 2026, so the Steelers might need an option, at least short-term.
“Obviously, he had a significant injury, and we’re monitoring how he progresses,” Steelers General Manager Omar Khan said last week at the Scouting Combine. “I know he’s working hard. It’s early in the process. That’s certainly something that we’re monitoring.”
A first-round pick in 2023, Jones had played in every regular-season game of his three-year career until his injury.