The Pittsburgh Steelers went only one game without Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. They’ll be missing his blindside protector for at least four.
With Rodgers set to make his return Sunday against the Buffalo Bills after sitting out with a fractured left wrist, left tackle Broderick Jones headed to injured reserve Saturday.
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Jones suffered a neck injury during a Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears. Because of his IR designation, the Georgia product, whom the Steelers selected No. 14 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, won’t be able to return to action until at least Week 17. At that juncture, Pittsburgh will play the Cleveland Browns on the road during its penultimate regular-season game.
Jones has been penalized just once this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which has him down for three sacks allowed since he gave up three in Week 1.
His injury against the Bears was originally reported as a stinger, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ruled Jones out for Sunday’s game against the Bills during his Tuesday news conference, signaling that Jones’ issue was more serious.
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In his absence, swing tackle Calvin Anderson got the nod at left tackle versus the Bears. Anderson blocked in front of Steelers backup quarterback Mason Rudolph, who threw for 171 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception amid the 31-28 defeat in Chicago.
Even though Anderson piled up what PFF reported as 23 offensive snaps against the Bears, he won’t be starting Sunday versus the Bills. The job belongs to Andrus Peat, who beat out Anderson for the opportunity in practice this week.
“I’m always ready to play or start,” Peat said Friday, via ESPN. “I’ve been a starter most of my career, so I always try to prepare like that and keep myself in that mindset.”
The New Orleans Saints picked Peat in the first round of the 2015 draft. He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Saints. While he mostly played left guard, he started a slew of games at left tackle for the Saints in 2023.
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Earlier this season, his first in Pittsburgh, he started at left guard for the Steelers when Isaac Seumalo was injured.
Peat will be tasked with protecting a soon-to-be-42-year-old Rodgers and helping pave the way for a Pittsburgh run game that logged a season-high 186 yards on the ground against the Bears last week.
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