Buy Or Sell: Dan Moore Jr. will be on the Steelers’ 53-man roster at the start of the regular season.
Explanation: While Moore is virtually guaranteed to lose his starting job, he has significant experience, and the Steelers’ respect. But the fact that other teams may value his experience makes him a potential trade candidate. That doesn’t end with the start of the regular season but extends up to the trade deadline. Just one injury and his price point in trade shoots up. And injuries happen in training camp, as well.
Buy:
No matter what fans think, the Steelers have a high opinion of Dan Moore Jr. Not high enough to pass on golden opportunities to improve the tackle position in the first round, granted. But they believe in him as a player and as a person, and perhaps most importantly, as a teammate. He was an asset to Broderick Jones last year as the then-rookie challenged him for a starting job. He’ll likely provide similar assistance to 2024 rookie Troy Fautanu.
And in the meantime, he’ll get lots and lots of work at right tackle this offseason. He knows his grasp on a starting job for 2024 is far less secure than it was a year ago. He knows ambidexterity is his future for stable employment. At least it is for one more season in Pittsburgh before he hits free agency in 2025.
Sell:
This isn’t quite at the level of a fact, but Dan Moore Jr. won’t be in the starting lineup in 2024. I think we can say that with reasonable confidence even at this early stage. The problem, then, is that he lacks position flexibility, a major issue for a reserve.
And so the situation arises that Moore actually has more value as a starting left tackle than as a reserve. If a team out there needs a left tackle, yes, it will consider trading for Moore. Surprisingly, that team is unlikely to poll Steelers fans for their thoughts first. The Jacksonville Jaguars gave the Steelers a fifth-round pick for QB Joshua Dobbs due to injury. The Steelers gave up a fifth-round pick for TE Nick Vannett.
Even more so than Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green last year, Dan Moore Jr. is too valuable to stay on the roster as a one-position backup. You don’t often find 25-year-old left tackles with 49 starts readily available. You just don’t, and the 31 other NFL teams know that.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
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).
