It’s the battle of the summer. In one corner, veteran Dan Moore Jr. who might only be entering his third year but has started every game of the past two seasons. In the other corner, there’s rookie Broderick Jones, the team’s first round pick Pittsburgh traded up to get.
It’ll be a fight that lasts throughout the preseason and it’s unlikely the team announces their Week One starter until the Tuesday before the opener against the San Francisco 49ers. But every battle has to start somewhere and it appears Moore will get the nod over Jones to begin tomorrow’s practice.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Tomlin was asked who would get the initial first-team snaps.
“I hadn’t thought about it but I assume so,” Tomlin told reporters via the team’s YouTube channel. “Yes.”
That news comes as little surprise. Established veteran players almost always get the nod over rookie challengers. And Moore has played well enough to start camp running with the 1’s. Jones will likely get his time to mix into the starting unit throughout the next three weeks, allowing Moore to get reps at right tackle, with a determination made either in late August or early September.
Either player could win the battle. Moore has the experience in the league and in OL Coach Pat Meyer’s system, one that seems to produce a heavy learning curve. Jones has the status, the upside, and the raw talent that will see him in the lineup sooner rather than later.
The good news is Pittsburgh has options. In Moore’s rookie year, they had little choice but to start him. With minimal tackle depth and Zach Banner suffering a setback from his torn ACL, Moore became the team’s de facto starting left tackle. He and the rest of the Steelers’ line took their lumps but have improved. Pittsburgh’s also made plenty of changes to that 2021 group, overhauling the interior line the past two years with free agent additions of Mason Cole, James Daniels, and Isaac Seumalo.
Tomorrow is the first step of a long battle. Whoever comes out on top will have truly won the job and should make for the best Steelers’ front five they’ve had in years.
