The Pittsburgh Steelers let LT Dan Moore Jr. leave in free agency this offseason, a move that surprised nobody. Over the previous two offseasons, they selected offensive tackles in the first round of the draft. They also knew that Moore would add compensatory value, projected to net a third-round pick.
Former Steelers quarterback—and former Moore teammate—Ben Roethlisberger isn’t so sure about this move, though. While he had little to say about the team’s young up-and-coming tackles, he wonders about moving on from an experienced and available left tackle.
“People were all over Dan Moore when he was here, which, people that watch the show know that I like Dan Moore”, Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “I loved his heart. I loved the way he played. He went and got paid. You don’t pay a guy if you don’t believe that he’s worth something. I think they’re gonna regret getting rid of a steadfast guy at tackle for a while”.
Roethlisberger has been consistently complimentary of Moore over the years, using his podcast to defend the former Steelers lineman. Most quarterbacks, of course, have nothing but praise for offensive linemen, who keep them upright. They are not the most unbiased lot, especially toward those they have played with.
But there is, perhaps, a kernel of wisdom in there, or at least well-placed caution. Moving from a known quantity to an unknown always comes with inherent risks, and that’s what the Steelers are doing. Dan Moore wasn’t great, but he was serviceable, and better than fan perception.
And those same fans are already down on Broderick Jones, who will move from right tackle to left tackle, after two seasons. While the hope is he is more comfortable there, he only has one NFL start at left tackle. And we have only seen one game from Troy Fautanu, the Steelers’ 2024 first-round pick.
It is not exactly inconceivable that the Steelers watch Moore have a better season for the Titans than they get out of Jones or Fautanu this year. After all, Moore improved with each season while he was here, and Pittsburgh’s young tackles are not at the height of their maturity yet.
Still, the Steelers will only be in a position to regret letting Dan Moore go if they failed to scout and develop properly. Just about any team that drafts two first-round tackles will move on from a starter they never viewed as a long-term solution.
And Roethlisberger might be the only person suggesting that the Steelers might regret moving on from Moore. While he has credibility as a former player, he is also biased as a former teammate. And let’s be honest, who knows what he really knows about the craft of playing offensive line. If the Steelers get anything close to what they expect out of Jones and Fautanu, nobody will give a second thought to Moore.
