For the better part of a decade, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been attempting to retool their offensive line. The unit that consisted of Alejandro Villanueva, David DeCastro, Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster, and Marcus Gilbert gave QB Ben Roethlisberger sound protection while also providing RB Le’Veon Bell room to gash opposing defenses.
However, injuries, retirement, and free agency broke up this group, forcing Pittsburgh to rebuild on the fly. After some trial and error, they currently boast a starting group of Dan Moore Jr. Isaac Seumalo, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Broderick Jones. OT Troy Fautanu is out for the season after suffering a dislocated kneecap in September.
Fautanu was the Steelers’ first-round pick in 2024 after taking Jones 14th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Jones hasn’t yet turned into the player Pittsburgh was hoping for as he has struggled mightily at times in pass protection as well as with general inconsistency. Pittsburgh hasn’t done Jones any favors by playing him out of his more natural left tackle position. And the rather inexperienced Jones is still trying to adjust to the right side while attempting to get his technique down while on the fly.
With Jones’ struggles as well as Fautanu coming off a significant knee injury after dealing with numerous injuries in college, would it be wise for Pittsburgh to target an offensive tackle high in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Pittsburgh’s best offensive tackle this season has been Dan Moore Jr. The left tackle played quality football to start the season before facing some tough competition later in the year. Moore is scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, and if the Steelers doesn’t bring back Moore, they will be relying on Jones and Fautanu.
This would be the ideal scenario as Fautanu and Jones were drafted to be Pittsburgh’s bookend tackles of the future. While both have shown promise — Fautanu was highly touted coming out of Washington and head coach Mike Tomlin has expressed faith in Jones this season — it would be wise for the Steelers to protect themselves by either re-signing Moore or investing in another quality prospect.
Moore’s projected value by OverTheCap is $8,325,000, putting him in line for a similar contract that former Steelers OT Chukwuma Okorafor got from Pittsburgh back in 2022. This would be a fair price for Moore given that he’s started 65 regular-season games since his rookie year and has gradually improved.
If Pittsburgh doesn’t want to re-sign Moore for that number — or vice versa — there are a host of offensive tackle prospects in this draft class, with great value sitting outside of the first round. Minnesota’s Aireontae Ersery, Ohio State’s Josh Simmons, and Texas’ Cameron Williams could all be in range of Pittsburgh’s 2025 first-round pick. If the Steelers wait until Day 2 of the draft, West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum, Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr., and LSU’s Emery Jones Jr. could be good options to consider in the second or third round.
I foresee Pittsburgh checking in on Moore’s value prior to free agency to see if the two sides can come together to keep a homegrown player whom they know can hold down the fort as Jones or Fautanu try to beat him out for a starting job.
Should Pittsburgh not be able to bring back Jones, I do think drafting another tackle relatively early would make a lot of sense. The position is one of the Steelers’ bigger needs given the number of questions surrounding Jones and Fautanu and their long-term outlook. Pittsburgh can still go to free agency and sign a more price-friendly veteran who can start if necessary, but the Steelers need to keep investing up front until they have their guys locked in.
