Will Dan Moore Jr. take the first LT snaps at OTAs with the first-team offensive line?
Let’s start off with a dose of reality: the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t draft two first-round tackles to be spectators. Broderick Jones is already in the starting lineup, and the Steelers are getting Troy Fautanu ready to go immediately. Dan Moore Jr.’s days are clearly numbered; we just don’t yet know how big the number is.
We do have to acknowledge there is a possibility of Dan Moore Jr. opening the season as a starter. That depends on the readiness of Fautanu, which is more of a challenge moving from left to right tackle. Even that is a discussion that’s a long way off at this point, however. We’re talking about this week.
The Steelers open their first week of OTAs just a short time from now after completing rookie minicamp. Head coach Mike Tomlin has some decisions to make about who is going to play where, and when. For example, he knows the first reps with the first-team offense will receive undue attention. Will Dan Moore Jr. be at left tackle for those snaps, or will Broderick Jones?
Knowing Tomlin, my guess is that we see last year’s offensive line take the first snaps—minus Mason Cole, of course. Even there, we can ask if Zach Frazier, the rookie, or Nate Herbig takes those snaps at center. But if they do pick up where they leave off, Moore is at left tackle, Jones at right.
There’s virtually no chance, however, that Moore doesn’t play considerable snaps this offseason at right tackle. He’s going to need to work on that if Fautanu claims the starting right tackle job. I can’t envision a scenario in which Jones moves to left tackle and can’t hack it.
Moore is in the final year of his rookie contract and is likely to lose his starting job. But he has depth value, and he has trade value. And it may serve the Steelers well not to immediately cast him aside, signaling to teams that they don’t view him as starting-capable despite his three years of starting experience.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wildcard Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
