With the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting offensive tackles in the first round in the last two drafts, it’s very likely that 2024 will be Dan Moore Jr.’s last season in Pittsburgh. That seems like something that will happen.
He’s set to hit free agency in 2025, and with 49 career starts under his belt through three seasons, he should receive a decent pay raise. It might not be anything crazy, but Moore is a starting tackle who has the experience and that will earn their stripes on the open market in an offensive line-starved league.
There’s also the fact that Moore still might start in Week 1 so nothing can be fully ruled out for him to add more experience to his resume. But could the Steelers end up trading him for assets before he hits the open market? Ari Meirov of the 33rd Football Team could see it happening.
“Dan Moore Jr. has started 49 games in three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but his time as a starter could end with the addition of Troy Fautanu. Moore had his fair share of struggles, but Pittsburgh could consider keeping him as a reserve option. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract,” Meirov wrote.
Moore allowed eight sacks last season, which was tied for eighth-most in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Moore’s PFF pass-blocking grade was 39.7, which ranked as the sixth-lowest in the league.
The Steelers reiterated that they view Fautanu as a tackle after his selection despite many pundits believing Fautanu is five spot versatile.
“Right now, we’re not concerned about that,” head coach Mike Tomlin said when asked about the possibility of him playing center. “We legitimately see him as a tackle.”
His projected versatility opens a myriad of possibilities for this year and next for the Steelers. They could play Fautanu at tackle this year, and then move him to guard in 2025, after starting right guard James Daniels’ contract expires. Meanwhile, Moore has only shown the capability to play left tackle, which is important to consider when someone will be a reserve tackle.
But the Steelers like to let rookies deal with the NFL transition as easily as possible, and so he will likely start out at a tackle position in 2024, and Moore will once again be in a battle for his starting job from OTAs on.
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