The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line was able to start all 17 games together in 2022, a rare feat in the modern NFL. As a group, the offensive line got better as the season went on, and a big part of that was the cohesion they developed on the field. However, it wasn’t just on-field chemistry, as in a recent interview with Teresa Varley of Steelers.com, left tackle Dan Moore Jr. said the group made it a priority to bond off the field as well.
“It was things from making a commitment to be at the facility every Tuesday, get extra work in on off days, and then every Thursday doing something as a group, going out to eat, having fun, going to Topgolf or something similar,” Moore said via Steelers.com.
Camaraderie and team chemistry is a big deal. If you don’t like the guys you’re battling alongside in games, then odds are things aren’t gonna go well. It’s a big reason why the Steelers having training camp at Saint Vincent College and giving that college vibe and atmosphere is such a good tool for team building before the meat of the season really gets underway. The offensive line bonding as a group might not have had a huge effect on their play on the field getting better week by week, but it certainly couldn’t have hurt.
Moore said the group really made the effort after the preseason ended, and that was when the line really began to get better. While they really hit their stride post-bye week (much like the rest of the team) the offensive line play from the preseason to the regular season was like night and day. After struggling mightily in the preseason, they did a really solid job protecting the quarterback early in the 2022 campaign. While the run blocking wasn’t always there right off the bat, that was a facet of the game that certainly improved as the season went on and the Steelers were able to become a team that leaned on their run game.
The core of the offensive line will probably stay intact for 2023. I don’t envision James Daniels, Mason Cole or Chukwuma Okorafor losing their starting jobs, and I really would be a little bit surprised if Moore Jr. wasn’t the Week 1 starter at left tackle. I think the team will look to upgrade from Kevin Dotson at left guard, but despite offensive tackle being a position that’s been heavily mocked to the Steelers in the first round, I think they give Moore one more shot as the starter.
The Steelers’ offensive line is clearly a group that enjoys playing with one another, and that’s important for building cohesion and continual success. It’s also a group that’s going to have to keep up the level of play they showed in the second half of last season going forward for Pittsburgh to have postseason success. It’s going to be interesting to see how the Steelers address the line this offseason.
