Broderick Jones Gets 'Boost' From George Pickens' Success With Cowboys After Steelers Exit

Broderick Jones has a new home with the Dallas Cowboys after being traded by the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend, but in that new home are some familiar faces.

One of them is Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, who spent the first three seasons of his career in Pittsburgh before he was also shipped off by the Steelers to Dallas.

Talent was never an issue for Pickens in Pittsburgh, but his poor attitude and behavioral problems were. They were no doubt the driving force behind the Steelers unloading him to the Cowboys, who sent Pittsburgh two draft picks while also getting back one.

So far, that trade has worked out for Dallas, as Pickens went on to have a career year in 2026 with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns. Perhaps more importantly, Pickens behaved himself, at least for the most part.

Seeing the success Pickens had after going to Dallas has given Jones a little extra hope he can turn things around with his new team.

Broderick Jones getting a 'boost' from George Pickens

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) catches the ball at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When speaking to the media for the first time this week, Jones said he gets a "boost" from seeing how well things turned out for Pickens in Dallas last season.

“Seeing what George did last year, you know, it just gave me a boost, especially coming to the same team, you know, and being familiar with a lot of the guys,” Jones said. “It’s more than just Georgia in the locker room. So, you know, a couple of Georgia guys and just have, like I said, new scenery and a new pace.”

Jones could certainly use that boost. He had a rough stint with the Steelers that amounted to a disappointment overall after he was a first-round pick of Pittsburgh in 2023.

The Georgia product struggled with consistency throughout his tenure, and he had a neck injury in 2025 that required surgery and ended his season early. It wasn't even certain he would start for the Steelers in 2026.

Now, Jones gets a fresh start with the Cowboys, where a golden opportunity awaits him.

Jones competing for starting job

Former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones. — Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones (77) against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys' trade for Jones was initially viewed as one that had the goal of shoring up the swing tackle job, and while it accomplishes that, also, that wasn't the only goal.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer revealed on Monday that the Cowboys are going to thrust Jones into a starting competition against right tackle Terence Steele.

"When we made the trade, the first thing I did was I reached out to Terence Steele and told Terence that Broderick is coming here to compete with him to be the starting right tackle," Schottenheimer said.

All of the conversation all offseason has been about left tackle Tyler Guyton competing for his job, but in reality the Cowboys should've had Steele fighting for his jobs, also.

Along with Guyton, Steele has been very disappointing the past few years, and really since the team inked him to a contract extension in 2023.

It didn't look like things were improving after Schottenheimer said he needed to see more consistency from Steele last month, and the trade for Jones and him being put into a competition with Steele cements that.

But we would not come close to counting Steele out. In fact, we view him as the clear favorite to win the battle because Jones is about as shaky as Steele is, and probably more so, and Jones doesn't have the knowledge of the playbook that Steele has.

That said, there's no question Jones is a better option to replace either Steele or Guyton than Drew Shelton and Nate Thomas were.

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