Perhaps it is because of Jeremiah Moon that the Pittsburgh Steelers are not scrambling to find a veteran edge rusher. They like to have insulation at the position and expect Nick Herbig to step up in his second season. But right now, Moon is clearly the fourth option, and he is liking his time so far in Pittsburgh.
Claimed off waivers at the end of January (but not made official until weeks later), Jeremiah Moon is an inexperienced young edge defender. He went undrafted out of Florida in 2022, spending his whole career up to now with the Baltimore Ravens. But he is welcoming the different perspective he finds from his new coaches and teammates with the Steelers.
“I am definitely enjoying it here”, Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quoted Moon as saying recently. He mentioned picking up details from working with T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith, a notable Steelers-only perk. “It’s nice to learn new things, and I definitely feel I can fit into this defense and on special teams. I am just here to help any way I can”.
Moon spent all of his rookie season on the Ravens’ practice squad but spent a good amount of time on the 53-man roster in 2023. In all, he participated in eight games, playing 99 defensive snaps and 142 special teams snaps. For his troubles, he accumulated 12 tackles, one for loss, with two forced fumbles.
Of the eight games in which he played, Moon participated in both games against the Steelers. In Week 5, he saw only snaps on special teams, 17 in total, contributing one tackle. He is the one who forced the fumble against Gunner Olszewski, in fact, but fortunately that drive ended in Joey Porter Jr.’s interception.
Many Ravens reserves played more in the season finale, including Moon, who logged 25 snaps in the second Steelers game. He also saw 19 more snaps on defense and totaled four tackles. Jaylen Warren did not have a good time against him. Moon tackled him for a loss on one occasion and then later forced him to fumble.
Yes, you read that right. Jeremiah Moon played in eight games, recording two fumbles, and both of them came against the Steelers. And the Steelers later claimed him off waivers after the Ravens let him go. But let’s hope that personal impact doesn’t cloud their judgment of him. Teams can have an inflated opinion about a player who performed well against them in the past.
At 6-5, 250 pounds, Moon is in that prototypical size range for a Steelers outside linebacker. He hopes to make the most of that frame, and he believes familiarity with the Ravens’ defense will help. He noted similarities between the two while praising his coaching in Pittsburgh.
“They have been showing me out a lot, especially with the playbook and sharpening up my skills and everything”, he said. “You just learn bits and pieces from different people and just keep moving forward”.
Right now, that forward momentum could carry Moon to a spot on the 53-man roster. He doesn’t have much competition unless you’re a big David Perales guy.
