With the Steelers’ 2023 offseason underway following a disappointing season that came up just short of reaching the playoffs, it’s time to begin reloading, through the free agency process, through the draft, and perhaps even through trade.
This is now a young team on the offensive side of the ball, though one getting older on defense, and both sides could stand to be supplemented robustly, including in the trenches—either one. Changes have been made to the coaching staff, even if not all of the desired ones, as the roster continues to renew with the weeks ticking by.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
Topic Statement: Dan Moore Jr. will hold off rookie Broderick Jones and keep his starting job at the beginning of the regular season.
Explanation: While the Steelers traded up in the first round to land their left tackle of the future, the future doesn’t necessarily mean now. The team still believes in Dan Moore Jr., and the reality is that Jones is inexperienced with only about a dozen starts at the college level. He may start this season, but it may not be in week one.
Buy:
The Steelers under Mike Tomlin have become more flexible when it comes to giving rookies opportunities, but that’s less the case when there is a veteran option they actually have some level of belief in. Even last year with the signing of Mitch Trubisky, they kept Kenny Pickett on the bench for as long as they felt they could.
Broderick Jones is going to have some growing pains. I expect he’ll have some ugly moments in pass protection during training camp and the preseason and that’s going to make the coaching staff balk at putting him on the field right away.
For the past decade, the Steelers have used the tackle-eligible role to get young linemen on the field and gain experience. I can see him lining up in that role—next to Darnell Washington—to start things off and gain some comfort. Then by midseason, he could crack the starting lineup.
Sell:
Dan Moore Jr. is in his third season and is still having growing pains, so if you’re going to be in pain, it might as well be with the guy who you expect to be the better of the two. It’s no secret that you’re going to take some lumps whenever you play a rookie because he will have to make some adjustments from the college game.
But that didn’t stop the Steelers from playing George Pickens last year. Moore even started as a rookie, though it wasn’t by intention. Kendrick Green did as well, and that was on purpose. Imagine that. If they can start Green, they’ll start Jones.
