Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin is known for not seeking comfort. When speaking to the media at the NFL League Meetings in Arizona on Sunday, the veteran bench boss said he was "comfortable" with the team's situation on the offensive line, highlighting the free agency additions to the unit who have starting experience on their NFL resumes.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line's biggest strength in 2023 was availability.
The Steelers reconstructed their offensive line again in free agency this year adding the likes of Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig to the interior and adding swing tackle Le'Raven Clark to the outside. Dan Morre Jr., Kevin Dotson, and James Daniels played in 100% of the offensive snap in 2022 according to Pro Football Reference, Chukwuma Okorafor played in 99.91%, and Mason Cole missed a few snaps with an injury which meant he only played in 96.03%. That kind of availability can't be counted on two years in a row and coach Tomlin said that was a big reason for the moves to improve the team's depth:
"'Happy' is a dangerous word, I'm 'comfortable,'” Tomlin said in Pheonix on Sunday evening. “I think we were fortunate last year the five primary starters made every football game and so our depth was not challenged. It would be naive to think that we could be in that circumstance again. We just thought the more starter-capable and starter-experience-like guys we could add to the group, we had an opportunity to create competition and raise our floor."
The competition in camp will determine who stays, but despite starting in every game last season, it would appear that Kevin Dotson will be trying to prove he deserves a shot and Kendrick Green's days in Pittsburgh are certainly seemingly numbered. While the team brought in some starting caliber players for the inside of the unit with the likes of Herbig and Seumalo, the two tackle positions are largely unchallenged from last year with Clark coming in as a backup swing tackle.
The organization committed big money to Okorafor last offseason to man the right tackle position. He took a big step forward in 2022, in regards to being penalized, cutting his total down from eight in 2021 to three, and not taking a single false start call after being flagged six times in 2021. Opposite him is one of the biggest remaining questions of the offseason.
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Steelers offensive tackle, Chuks Okorafor seems to have won the early competition at right tackle.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Gives Dan Moore Jr. The Early Vote Of Confidence
Many are asking the question of whether Moore Jr.'s starting position is safe going into next season and as the second-highest penalized offensive lineman on the team, it's fair to wonder why at a minimum no competition has been brought in yet. But the organization seems to be fans of the second-year man from Texas A&M with offensive line coach Pat Meyer heaping on the praise for his development earlier this year and Tomlin defending him again on Sunday:
“He’s mature beyond his years,” Tomlin said about Moore Jr. “He brings a professional approach. He’s proven to be durable and available, which are big things. He works to eliminate mistakes and that speaks to a continual improvement. I just like what he’s done, but I think it all stems from his mature and professional approach to business. I think that allows all those other things to transpire.”
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Steelers' Dan Moore Comes Out of Tunnel for Start of Game
There's plenty of time before the Steelers have to make a decision and Tomlin seems like he's in no hurry to even start making up his mind with Pittsburgh not even starting OTA's until May 22.
So, Steeler Nation, do you think the team needs an upgrade on Moore Jr? Would you be eyeing a lineman at pick 17? Let us know in the comments or on social media.
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