Outside of the quarterback debate for the Pittsburgh Steelers, quietly, the ongoing battle at offensive tackle is an important one, one that has been a bit overlooked at times.
But now, there appears to be some clarity, at least based on a report from the Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac. Rookie Troy Fautanu will be the starting right tackle when the Steelers take on the Atlanta Falcons on the road on Sept. 8 to open the season, while the left tackle position will come down to a battle between Dan Moore Jr. and Broderick Jones.
That decision from the Steelers is a bit confusing for the Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo.
While Fittipaldo understands why the Steelers are going to “give some deference” to Moore due to his experience, how they are handling Jones is rather puzzling.
“I kind of think they just want to, much like they’ve been doing, I think they wanna give some deference to Dan Moore because he’s been…a three-year starter, and he stepped up for them when he was a rookie, and you know, he’s been a guy that they leaned on,” Fittipaldo said of Moore, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan on YouTube. “So, I think it was gonna play out before the season started that Broderick would’ve won that job. I gotta be honest with you now, I don’t know how this injury plays into their plans there. Now Broderick has to play on the right side, I’m assuming that, I don’t think they’re gonna give Broderick reps on the left side as long as Troy is out.
“So Broderick always tells me that he doesn’t need much time. It’s a natural thing for him, but, you know, you would think they would wanna get him in there and settled at left tackle for at least two weeks before they throw him out there in a regular season game.”
One would think that would be the wise decision for the Steelers, especially with Jones potentially playing a key position on the offensive line like left tackle, which is the blindside for whoever is under center, whether that’s Russell Wilson or Justin Fields.
But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Instead, it appears that the Steelers will keep Jones at right tackle for the time being, and leave Moore at left tackle to get through the rest of the preseason, and then likely make the switch of Jones to left tackle once Fautanu is back healthy from his MCL injury.
The Steelers did right by Fautanu, putting him at right tackle, leaving him there, and ultimately giving him the job. But the way they have handled Jones is puzzling. He’s a clearly better player than Dan Moore Jr. and is the future at the position. It’s fine to have respect for what Moore has done, stepping up as a rookie, learning and growing on the job, and holding down a starting role for three years.
But he hasn’t been anywhere near good enough on the field, and he shouldn’t be treated like some accomplished veteran with a long history with the Steelers that needs to be handled with kid gloves.
He’s seen the writing on the wall since the Steelers drafted Jones, but for some reason, the Steelers are afraid to rip the bandaid off with Moore. In the process, it appears to be hurting Jones.
While the Georgia product is confident playing either side and believes he doesn’t need much time at all to make the switch back to the left side, the Steelers shouldn’t be keeping him from doing that now to get ready for the games that matter.
The deference to Dan Moore Jr. is surprising, especially the longer it drags on. Hopefully, the Steelers will wise up soon in the situation and put Jones where he needs to be.
