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Michael Longo/For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

Steelers' Dan Moore Jr. Ranks As One Of The Worst Tackles, While Former Steeler Kevin Dotson Ranks As One Of The Best Guards

Originally posted on Steeler Nation | By Kolby Barrett | Last updated 1/10/24

One of the most notable things to come out of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2023 season is the consistent struggle on the offensive line. Isaac Seumalo has been a solid addition from last offseason and Broderick Jones is finally getting into the rhythm of what the Steelers wanted when they drafted him. But other spots seem like they would be better with anyone else at the position. Most notably is with Dan Moore Jr. on the opposite side of Jones and Mason Cole struggling to snap the ball at the center position.

Moore Has Been One Of The Biggest Problems On The Steelers' Offensive Line

Just last week, Moore would rank as the worst pass-blocking offensive tackle in the league according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed eight sacks and 55 hurries, putting up one of the worst seasons by an offensive lineman to date. To make matters worse, having him play at the left tackle position is holding back Jones from playing his natural position on the left side.

It is obvious that Moore is never going to be the franchise guy for the Steelers and this coming offseason, they need to address the issue. One of the options the team should consider is bringing in a veteran like Trent Brown or Mike Onwenu who are expected to become free agents at the end of the season. Or the Steelers could look to bring in a rookie like they did with Jones last year. A name that keeps circulating that would be a good fit for the Steelers is Amarius Mims, who was Jones's former teammate at Georgia.

The first task on the Steelers’ 2024 agenda should be putting Broderick Jones at his natural position of LT & banishing Dan Moore to the bench.

Moore gets smoked at least once a game.
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) January 6, 2024

Much like Moore struggling, Cole has not looked great either at the center position. With both guys being veterans on the team, their performances over the season should not be acceptable and should have the front office looking for a replacement for the 2024 season. The Steelers could also look to part ways with offensive line coach Pat Meyer who has struggled to produce any talent at the position during his time with the team.

The biggest example of Meyer being a failure in Pittsburgh is Kevin Dotson. He started his career with Pittsburgh in 2020 and looked to be really solid. Coincidentally, when Meyer came in during the 2022 offseason, Dotson's production dropped and led to the Steelers trading him to the Los Angeles Rams. With his short time with the Rams, Dotson seems to be a completely different player, some may even consider him one of the best guards in the NFL.

Using PFF again, they considered Dotson to be one of the top five linemen from this season - with him being the best guard in the NFL over the last two weeks. This production should lead him to get a big-time contract extension over the offseason and has people considering him to be a snub for this year's Pro Bowl.

Kevin Dotson’s 90.9 overall grade over the past two weeks ranks first among all NFL guards pic.twitter.com/BSj4ebvugV
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) January 3, 2024

Seeing Dotson flourish with the Rams proves that a change needs to happen to the Steelers next season. Sure they were able to go 10-7 and sneak into the playoffs, but is that really what the fans want? To be a mediocre team, while its former players are going off and playing better than they were in Pittsburgh?

The offensive line has been one of the Steelers' biggest struggles over the past four years and change needs to happen. What do you think Steeler Nation? What does the front office need to do to make this line Super Bowl caliber?

This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.

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