The Pittsburgh Steelers have made no secret of their investment in upgrading their offensive line over the past two offseasons. They have used their two most recent first-round selections to take promising young tackles: Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu. Head Coach Mike Tomlin is known to give rookie players time to develop before throwing them to the wolves, so it wasn't surprising when Jones sat behind Dan Moore Jr. in 2023 before being allowed to start. With the addition of Fautanu, fans hoped that Moore would be benched and the Steelers would start working on their master plan of having Fautanu and Jones flank the quarterback.
Unfortunately, all three tackles have struggled with some injuries this offseason: Fautanu and his knee, Moore and his ankle, and Jones and his elbow. This seems to have slowed the plan to have Fautanu start at right tackle while Jones is on the left. In Week 1, Fautanu was dressed, but did not get to play, something he hopes isn't the case in Week 2.
The Steelers traded up to get Jones last year, but many analysts consider Fautanu the better player. While Moore elicits a scathing response from the fans, neither young player has been able to beat him out of the left tackle spot. Now, as the Steelers prepare to head out to the Mile High City to play the Denver Broncos, Moore is singing the praises of Fautanu, according to a post on X by 93.7 The Fan.
"His development from OTAs to camp was just miraculous. Each day as camp went on, he just continued to get better. The little bit of time he played in the preseason game, he played really well. I think he impressed the coaches and offensive linemen. We kind of all got his respect and I think he has our trust."
Part of what General Manager Omar Khan and Tomlin love about Jones and Fautanu is their versatility and adaptability. Both played left tackle in college, but Jones has done an exceptional job stepping up to play on the right side of the line. That made sense last season because Moore is adamant that he cannot play anywhere but left tackle. However, with Fautanu, the plan is to move Jones to the left (his natural side) and have Fautanu learn to play on the right.
While Moore has historically been graded low by Pro Football Focus, that wasn't the case against the Falcons. He was given an overall grade of 75.4, but his pass protection was ranked third-best among offensive linemen for the week at 88.7. According to a video on X from Chris Adamski, Moore told the media that he thinks the line might look different against the Broncos, but he doesn't see it changing the overall plan.
"I think our game plan is to go in and run the ball," said Moore. "It will be a lot different look than last week. But I don't think our game plan will necessarily change."
The Steelers won against the Falcons despite never making it into the end zone. Given that Patrick Surtain is patrolling the sidelines for the Broncos, they will likely change their game plan a bit this week. This means they will have to establish a strong run game and find a way to connect more often in the middle of the field.
Steelers' Dan Moore Holding Strong At LT
Steelers fans are known to hate PFF and its statistics regarding T.J. Watt, but when they are used against Moore, they accept them as the gospel truth. The narrative that Moore is the worst offensive lineman in the league is constantly thrown up.
However, most media close to the franchise agree that Moore has outperformed Jones and Fautanu. While this is not expected to continue, they will eventually find their sea legs; for now, he will stay as a starter.
Fans will be on the edge of their seats waiting to see how this plays out. When Moore replaced Chukwuma Okorafor in 2023, the offense's run game improved, which is why benching him in favor of Moore doesn't quite make sense. Whether fans like it or not, Moore could stay in for a good chunk of the rest of the season.
