Steelers LT Dan Moore Jr. Remains Open To Potential Practical Move To Right Tackle In 2024

No one gave Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Dan Moore Jr. a realistic chance this year. After the team selected left tackle Broderick Jones in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, nearly everyone thought it was only a matter of time before Moore lost his job. In his first two seasons in Pittsburgh, he had started all 34 games, including a postseason contest as a rookie, at left tackle. 

Fast forward to where we are in December, and he's started 12 of the 13 games to this point. Jones has been able to find the field, albeit at right tackle. After the team disciplined veteran right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor, it forced the rookie into the starting lineup and he hasn't looked back since. For Moore though, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, this season hasn't come as a surprise. He's earned all of this through hard work.

"I would say my expectations are always higher than what people’s expectations for me were. So I feel like this is kind of no shock to me. Regardless of what happened, I came in with a mindset that I was going to continue doing what I do, just keep improving, keep working hard... I am kind of just waiting till the season ends," Moore said of a potential move to right tackle in 2024, "And just seeing how the organization feels about everything."

Moore came in with the right attitude this past summer and has maintained it throughout the season. Again, not many people gave him a chance to win the job this past summer. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was one of his biggest believers, and the two were teammates in Roethlisberger's final NFL season in 2021. Moore still has a year left on his rookie deal, but it's hard to imagine him being a part of the team's long-term plans.

Despite his ability to win the starting job and maintain it this season, he has still left a lot to be desired. Pro Football Focus has given him a career-worst 52.7 grade with particular struggles in the passing game. With the front office's clear desire to dominate the trenches, they will likely look at reinforcing the offensive line even more this upcoming offseason. They invested into it heavily last offseason, and they'll need more of that to become one of the best in football.

What Will The Steelers Do At Tackle This Offseason?

It's a bit of a surprise that we still haven't seen Okorafor in the starting lineup since he was benched for disciplinary reasons back in Week 9. At this point, the team likely doesn't want to stunt Jones' growth by moving him back to the left side in the middle of the season. Okorafor has appeared on the field as an extra offensive lineman in each of the past four contests, as he has combined for seven snaps in that span.

It remains unclear as to what he exactly said to warrant the benching, but it must have been pretty significant. He has one year left on his extension after this season, but that may not last its entirety. The Steelers can cut ties with him at little cost this offseason and with Moore under contract for another season, Okoafor will likely be on his way out of town. With that, the team will be interested in both an offensive tackle and center in the 2024 NFL Draft and/or free agency. 

They have gotten a decent start to revitalizing the unit, but they need to continue to make the group younger. We've seen the struggles of center Mason Cole over the last few weeks, which has only reinforced the need for an interior lineman. As for Moore's comment about possibly moving to the right side, this would allow Jones to move back to his natural side.