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Athlon Sports
Steelers' Jones' Struggles vs. Bills Prompt Major Concerns at OT
By Harrison Reno,
14 hours ago
The preseason debut of Russell Wilson was anything but smooth for the Pittsburgh Steelers . The 35-year-old veteran signal-caller played just five drives of the 9-3 loss with the Steelers starting offense before being pulled and failed to help Pittsburgh put any points on the board versus the Buffalo Bills .
But is that a reflection of Wilson's performance? The former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback finished with 47 yards passing while completing eight of his 10 attempts, which certainly doesn't paint the picture of a bad day at the office for Wilson. So what was the problem?
Pass protection stands out as the glaring issue in Wilson's preseason debut. He was sacked three times and lost 21 yards in the process. At least two of those sacks can be blamed on second-year offensive tackle Broderick Jones, who struggled in his matchup with Buffalo Bills edge rusher Gregory Rousseau.
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
But the sacks allowed weren't Jones's only issue. Even after the quarterback change from Wilson, a more traditional pocket passer, to Fields, a fleet-foot quarterback, he gave up a quarterback hit.
The issues in pass protection Saturday for Jones will certainly prompt even more questions about the Steelers' plan upfront. Despite having selected offensive tackles with each of their last two first-round picks, it doesn't seem they have a bona fide blindside protector.
Rookie offensive tackle Troy Fautanu's preseason debut versus the Houston Texans saw him give up a sack before leaving the game with an injury, which sidelined him against the Bills.
Luckily for the Steelers, there is the veteran option of Dan Moore Jr. However, with Fautanu and Jones both recent first-round picks who were supposed to be upgrades at tackle, the question is whether the Steelers want to sit one of them in favor of Moore.
Whatever the solution, the Steelers have just three weeks to find it before opening their regular season against the Atlanta Falcons.
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