Player: Dan Moore Jr.
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: Don’t look now, but the left tackle position is suddenly an area of stability with Dan Moore Jr. Repeatedly counted out on an annual basis, the fourth-year veteran refuses to go down without a fight. He remains a fixture in the starting lineup, and that doesn’t appear to be changing in the near future.
Guys, I’m afraid your wish to see Dan Moore Jr. on the bench is not about to come true. He is the Steelers’ best tackle right now, arguably even their best healthy lineman. Even Pro Football Focus is acknowledging what he’s doing right now, and the outlet trashed him last year.
While this is likely his last year with the Steelers, Moore may well make it to the end while starting. That is a credit to what he is going right now but also a criticism of his competition. Broderick Jones right now is not suited for starting, and it is not clear when he will be.
After starting the opener at right tackle, he took a seat in favor of rookie Troy Fautanu last Sunday. The Steelers rotated Jones in, however, and he played very poorly, resulting in his benching. Moore, in the meantime, just continued to chug along, delivering solid play.
Now I’m not saying that Moore is suddenly turning into a Pro Bowler, but he is delivering relatively consistent, solid play, and that is all the Steelers can ask of him. He is doing nothing to make Pittsburgh want to rush the timeline to take him off the field. Put simply, he is doing is job the way he should be doing it.
Of course, the Steelers would love for Broderick Jones to challenge Dan Moore Jr. sooner rather than later. It doesn’t help that Jones is dealing with some injury issues, but they want to give him a chance. Still, it feels like the best-case scenario is that he gets a series here and there.
At this rate, it will take a lot for Moore to lose his job this season. Granted, we’re only two games in and there are more challenging tests ahead. The Los Angeles Chargers have some good pass rushers at their disposal, so perhaps this conversation will be different by next week. But for now, Moore’s the man, whether you like it or not.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
