When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded up to draft LT Broderick Jones with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it appeared that the writing was on the wall for incumbent Dan Moore Jr. However, Moore put in hard work through the offseason, through training camp, and through the preseason to keep the starting left tackle job.
However, that still raises questions about the future of the left tackle job. When former Steelers QB Charlie Batch joined two-time Super Bowl champion QB Ben Roethlisberger on Friday’s episode of Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger, the question was raised again.
“What’s going to be interesting is what’s gonna happen moving forward,” Roethlisberger said. “Because you said it best, the business of the NFL. There’s no way, say Dan Moore goes out and balls out. Well, there’s no way they sit that number-one pick next year. There’s no way.”
Batch originally brought up the “business of the NFL” concept and it raises an important issue in this situation. Teams do not like throwing draft picks away in general, and first-round picks even more so. Then you factor in trading up for Jones, and there’s a whole lot invested in the rookie left tackle.
Obviously, if Moore struggles for any extended period of time, you’ve got Jones in the wings. However, as Roethlisberger points out, what happens if Moore has a great year?
“Now does that mean that Dan has to go to right?” Roethlisberger asked. “I don’t know who can play right. Does that mean that Chuks [Chukwuma Okorafor] is out and then one of them goes over? Does that mean that Dan, it’s oh sorry Dan, we’re going to have to let you [go?]”
Obviously, both Roethlisberger and Batch understand the importance of having a quality left tackle protecting their blindside. So if Moore does a great job protecting QB Kenny Pickett throughout the entire season, should he still make way for the future?
“Outside of injuries, that’s one thing,” Batch said. “But to get to that point, I don’t see how they move Dan. I just don’t.”
Then that leaves the coaching staff trying to figure out what to do with Jones, the former 14th overall pick, while general manager Omar Khan is wondering about the resources invested. The most logical football answer is you continue to play Moore. You don’t mess with a good thing, especially at a spot as important as left tackle.
However, teams get stuck in sunk-cost fallacies all the time. You’ve invested, and now you need to show something for that investment. Otherwise, you’ve done something wrong.
In this hypothetical case, however, the Steelers have done nothing wrong. They invested capital in a very important position to ensure the future of that spot. It just so happens that the player already occupying the starting left tackle position got better and played at such a high level that there was no problem.
Obviously, there are two situations in which this discussion is completely a moot point. Moore could end up struggling badly and Jones needs to replace him, or Moore gets hurt as Batch noted. However, in the best interests of Pittsburgh’s offense, no one wants either of those things to happen. As both Roethlisberger and Batch note later, this will simply become a bigger question after the season for the coaching staff to handle.
Watch the entire episode below.
