Continuing a series started last summer highlighting training camp battles at specific positions on the Pittsburgh Steelers roster as two players battle for the final roster spot on the depth chart. Today, we examine the outside linebacker battle between Jeremiah Moon and Kyron Johnson.
Our very own Alex Kozora highlighted the position battle between OLBs Jeremiah Moon and Kyron Johnson as one that has yet to be decided as the team concludes training camp practices at Saint Vincent College out in Latrobe, PA, transitioning back to their facilities in Pittsburgh. It looked like neither had a real shot of making the 53-man roster when the team signed OLB Markus Golden as they dealt with injuries to the position, but Golden decided to retire last week, opening the door for one of Johnson or Moon to win the OLB4 job in Pittsburgh.
Both Johnson and Moon have been journeymen since entering the league. Johnson was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round (181st overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft but failed to make the team in his second season, spending part of 2023 on Philadelphia’s practice squad until he was released in October, latching onto Pittsburgh’s practice squad in a week later and was promoted to the active roster in December.
Moon went undrafted the same year in 2022 coming out of Florida. He earned a spot on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad and was promoted to their active roster, seeing action in eight games with one start. Baltimore waived him in January prior to the AFC Championship Game, and Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers on January 26. He has been with the team ever since.
Johnson and Moon bring different traits to the table as outside linebackers. Johnson is a freaky athlete, having run a 4.40 40-yard dash at his Pro Day while posting a 39 1/2-inch vertical and a 10-foot broad jump. You see that explosiveness on tape as Johnson is fast off the snap and closes on the ball quickly, using his speed and smaller stature to evade blocks and work around them. He possesses decent play strength as well but lacks the ideal size at the position (6-0, 235 pounds) to consistently hold up against NFL blockers.
Moon is a great athlete in his own right (40.5-inch vert, 11-foot 1-inch broad), but he lacks the same straight-line speed (4.76 40-yard dash) and quickness that Johnson possesses. This makes Moon a little less nimble in the open field when it comes to moving in space or occasionally dropping into coverage, but he has the size and length that Johnson lacks (6-5, 249 pounds, 35-inch arms). His arm length especially helps in keeping blockers off his frame when setting the edge against the run, having the ability to stack and shed blocks as well as use his size and length together to covert speed to power on his path to the quarterback.
Neither Johnson nor Moon have recorded a sack in a regular season game while Moon has forced two fumbles (both coming against Pittsburgh). Both Moon and Johnson have special teams experience with Moon playing 142 snaps there in 2023 while Johnson has 365 special teams snaps the last two seasons, 100 of which came with Pittsburgh last season.
Who provides the better play on special teams will go a long way in deciding who wins this position battle and gets the OLB4 spot on the roster if Pittsburgh doesn’t elect to go with an external candidate. Johnson brings the aspect of speed and explosiveness, while Moon brings a more rugged run defender with better size and measurables to the table. Both had flashes in the first preseason game, meaning they will need to continue to impress in hopes of sticking out over the other for the job.
