Player: OLB Jeremiah Moon
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The Pittsburgh Steelers have not made any significant moves at outside linebacker entering training camp. That is good news for guys like Jeremiah Moon, who is vying for that fourth spot on the depth chart. He should enter camp in “pole position” for the job, but they could sign a veteran if they need to. Remember, Markus Golden is still out there, and he played well for the Steelers last year.
The fourth spot on the outside linebacker depth chart doesn’t exactly take center stage for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. They feel strongly about their top three at the position, and guys like Jeremiah Moon are inessential personnel. The team could legitimately just go with three outside linebackers and use that spot elsewhere.
Moon has to compel them to do otherwise, convincing the Steelers that they don’t want to lose him. And let’s be honest, the best way for him to do that is to blow up plays on special teams. That is the way a third-string outside linebacker makes it in the NFL, period. Always has been, and unless special teams disappear (which is possible), always will be.
And he doesn’t exactly have an extensive resume. The Ravens signed Jeremiah Moon as a rookie free agent out of Florida in 2022. He spent his rookie season on their practice squad, bouncing on and off last season as well. In all, he did play 99 defensive snaps and another 142 on special teams.
For his troubles, Moon finished the season with 12 tackles, including one for loss, and two forced fumbles. Both of them came against the Steelers, knocking the ball loose from Gunner Olszewski in Week 4 and then getting the better of Jaylen Warren in the finale.
Those two plays surely helped Moon catch the Steelers’ attention, but that won’t land him a roster spot. He has to earn it, or he could wind up on the practice squad, or not on the roster at all. They have others like him on the roster, and if none of them step up—there’s still Markus Golden.
But the reality is the Steelers have not made any significant additions at the position. In fact, Jeremiah Moon is probably the most notable move that they made there. So that’s good news for him as they enter training camp that they haven’t upgraded from him yet. But if he gives them a reason to, they will.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
