Player: T Dan Moore Jr.
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: While playing out his contract year, Dan Moore Jr. seemed to be earning himself some money. His play really fell off late in the season, however. That’s unfortunate for the Steelers, who were never likely to re-sign him anyway. But for compensatory purposes, it would be really helpful if another team viewed him as a starter.
According to Pro Football Focus, Russell Wilson faced the 12th-most pressure in the NFL among quarterbacks coming through the left tackle position. In other words, Dan Moore Jr. gave up more than his fair share of pressure. Broderick Jones did even worse, of course, rankings-wise, but Moore did plenty of harm himself.
From Week 15 on, only Sam Darnold and Joe Burrow faced more pressure from left tackle than Wilson. Of all the pressure Wilson faced, 24.6 percent came from Dan Moore’s spot in that span. And it’s not like Moore boosted his resume as some great run blocker, either.
A fourth-round pick in 2021, Dan Moore Jr. was thrown into the fire as a rookie. He has started every game for which he has been healthy, amassing 4,306 career snaps. In terms of age and experience, at 26, he could be a desirable commodity in free agency.
The Steelers probably hope so, because they have Jones and Troy Fautanu at tackle. While Fautanu is coming off an injury and Jones had a setback, they are the pieces they are working with. Dan Moore is still probably going to fetch some money, though. Offensive tackles are always in demand. Even Chris Hubbard got paid, and he is still in the league.
But it sure would have been nice if Moore could have ended this season on a higher note. He has handed himself professionally throughout his career, and he has shown growth on the field. It’s just that, after four years, he has not risen to the level of long-term solution at left tackle. He isn’t the kind of guy you plug in and say, “Okay, we’re good now”. He is the guy you are always looking to replace but are fine with while you wait.
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.
