The curious case of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Broderick Jones' long-term home remains open, and after three weeks of preseason play, the team that made him a first-round pick in 2023 doesn't seem much closer to an answer.

For now, he's taking reps at right tackle and putting in work on the blindside after practice, doing what he can to mitigate the uncertainties in Pittsburgh's plan.

With fewer than two weeks until the Steelers take on the Atlanta Falcons to kick off their regular season, one of the team's most important players isn't quite sure what to expect.

"Gotta wait until Sept. 8 comes," Jones told Chris Adamski, "and see what goes down."

In the meantime, Jones will continue taking first-team reps at right tackle - reps that belong to 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu. He's working his way back from a minor knee injury and is expected to be a full-go for Week 1.

"As of right now, I'm sticking with right tackle," Jones said of recent practice weeks. "That's what I've been playing. Troy is still trying to get (healthy). For me, (right tackle) is where I feel like I'll be at for the first game of the season, but you never know. We'll see how it plays out."

Fautanu's return gives the Steelers two options: push Jones back to the blindside or relegate him to the second string, despite starting 11 games and flashing at different points last year.

There were inconsistencies for sure. Jones was thought of as a developmental project of sorts coming out, and that projection hasn't changed. But if Fautanu is the future of the right tackle position, it would behoove Pittsburgh to give Jones ample runway at left tackle.

Playing both spots is difficult for any lineman. For one with technical flaws underlining their profile, thrusting him back and forth feels dangerous.

Yet, an unfinished, right tackle version of Jones seems to be the Steelers' fifth-best linemen. That alone is enough to convince Pittsburgh to put obstacles in the runway of Jones' development.

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"With Troy being out," Jones said, "I really have to focus on the right side for right now."

We won't pretend to know better than the Steelers coaches making Jones' life difficult. But organizations who get the most out of high-variance projections often do so by fostering ideal environments for growth. Whether Jones works out or not, it's clear Pittsburgh hasn't taken the path of least resistance to the tackle's potential.