The free agency market along the offensive line doesn’t have a ton of big names, and with Ronnie Stanley heading back to the Baltimore Ravens on a three-year deal, things just got a whole lot more interesting, especially for one former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman.
Dan Moore Jr., who allowed the most sacks of any offensive lineman in the NFL in 2024, is in line for a big payday on the open market. Former Steelers’ offensive guard James Daniels is also set to hit the open market as he’s still recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in Week 4 of the 2024 season.
With those two hitting free agency, the offensive line for the Steelers could look a bit different in 2025 and beyond. But based on where offensive line guru Brandon Thorn sees the best fit for both Moore and Daniels, the Steelers could be seeing the two quite a bit each season.
For Thorn, the best landing spot for Moore is the Baltimore Ravens, though the tweet was sent out from Thorn prior to the Stanley news. For Daniels, the best landing spot Thorn sees is the Cincinnati Bengals.
Moore landing in Baltimore would be a bit of a surprise, considering he’s struggled significantly as a pass blocker during his time in the NFL, and would be in charge of protecting the blindside of Lamar Jackson. With Stanley back, that’s not going to happen, especially with Moore being unable to play right tackle at this point in his career.
He’ll still have a significant market though with Stanley off the board, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, which could put Moore in line for $15 million-plus per season on the open market.
There should be some caution from teams, considering Moore, who started the season strong, completely collapsed in the second half of the season. From Week 10 on, Moore allowed 10 of his 12 sacks in the regular season and 27 of his 41 pressures. Four times in the second half of the season Moore was charged with allowing two or more sacks in a game, according to Pro Football Focus, doing so against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 12 and then against the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals in Weeks 17 and 18.
Moore played 1,111 snaps in the regular season and had the worst season of his career in a contract year, allowing a career-worst 12 sacks. Based on his play in the first half of the season, there was a chance that Moore might have played his way into another contract with the Steelers, but that ship sailed as his play cratered in the second half under offensive line coach Pat Meyer.
Teams like the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Commanders have needs at left tackle entering free agency, and Moore could land in one of those situations.
As for Daniels, Thorn likes the fit in Cincinnati, especially after the Bengals cut loose right guard Alex Cappa to save some money in an effort to get the likes of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Mike Gesicki re-signed.
Daniels played just three full games last season and exited the Week 4 loss to the Indianapolis Colts early with the torn Achilles, ending his season in disappointing fashion. Prior to the injury, Daniels had played 209 snaps and was the highest-graded interior offensive lineman in football at 92.9 overall from Pro Football Focus.
In those 209 snaps, Daniels allowed just five pressures and one sack, and was quite good as run blocker.
Daniels is ranked by PFF as the fifth-best guard set to hit free agency, and is projected to land a one-year, $5.5 million contract. Him landing in Cincinnati would be a nice get for the Bengals, and would add some additional juice to the rivalry with the Steelers in the AFC North.
