The 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers’ training camp is just days away. The top stories each summer revolve around the top battles on the depth chart, either for a starting role or spot on the 53-man roster. What happens over the next month will shape the Steelers’ roster heading into Week One. With that in mind, we’re breaking down some of the top camp battles, what the players involved are bringing, and who will come out on tape.
Tale Of The Tape: OT Broderick Jones vs OT Dan Moore Jr.
Dan Moore Jr.
Why He Will Win The Battle: Moore’s the incumbent. He’s now a third-year veteran who has started every game of the last two years, giving him a distinct leg up on a rookie like Jones. Moore has somewhat slowly but steadily improved throughout his career, especially the latter half of 2022. His run blocking got better and he became a key down blocker who could wash ends and have Najee Harris run off his hip.
Moore is a hard worker who isn’t going to lay down and hand the job to Jones. Moore is also highly-conditioned, remarkably available (he basically hasn’t missed any time in two NFL seasons) and he hasn’t even had much competition to motivate him until this year. That’ll push his game to even greater heights. He is the known guy in the fight and that brings a certain level of comfort.
Why He Won’t Win The Battle: Moore isn’t the shiny first round pick the Steelers traded up for. While Moore is a physically solid player, a good all-around athlete, he isn’t the freak athlete Jones is. Jones is also a punishing run blocker, probably moreso than Moore, which gives him an edge in the Steelers’ run-heavy approach. Moore has also taken his lumps and especially struggles with power rushes, noting he’s working to improve his anchor. If he can’t improve there, his ceiling as an NFL left tackle will be capped.
Broderick Jones
Why He Will Win The Battle: Because Jones is the Steelers first round pick. And those guys don’t sit long. Kenny Pickett saw action earlier than most people expected while other first rounders were Week One starters. Najee Harris, Devin Bush, Terrell Edmunds, and T.J. Watt were all starters out of the gate.
Jones is a great athlete and like Moore, a humble and hard worker. His body type and slightly better length makes him a better-looking fit for Pat Meyer’s system and he should offer more scheme versatility getting out in space and pulling. If it’s a close battle, and it’s reasonable to assume it will be, the edge could go to Jones, who is going to be the future of the position.
Why He Won’t Win The Battle: Jones started just 19 games in college. Granted, they were against the SEC, making him more battle-ready, but 19 starts still aren’t a lot. And the NFL is a different beast. Jones will likely have typical rookie growing pains, especially in Meyer’s system that saw all the Steelers’ linemen (outside of RT Chukwuma Okorafor) initially struggle last summer before settling in.
First round pick or not, if he’s not ready, the Steelers won’t play him. It isn’t even like 2021 where Moore was the default option, ready or not. Pittsburgh has a veteran like Moore they can turn towards until Jones shows his readiness to protect face-of-the-future QB Kenny Pickett.
Prediction
Winner: Broderick Jones
Analysis: Really tough call here and it could go either way. Don’t sleep on Moore, something I wrote about back in May and an idea that’s become more commonplace in Steelers’ circles. But Jones is the first round pick, uber-talented, and I doubt Pittsburgh will be intimidated by the daunting schedule he’d face out of the gate. If they believed in Jones enough to trade up for him, they won’t be scared to have him face Nick Bosa and Myles Garrett.
