The Pittsburgh Steelers front office made a valiant effort to revamp the offensive line during the 2023 offseason. Nate Herbig was brought in as a depth piece, Isaac Seumalo signed and will be the starting left guard, while Broderick Jones was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. The retooling is likely to leave Kevin Dotson and Dan Moore Jr. on the outside looking in once the season comes around. The two remained healthy in 2022, but inconsistency and a lack of firepower may have cost them their jobs in Pittsburgh.
Steelers offensive lineman, Kevin Dotson, stretches with his teammates on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 regular season game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation.com (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Similar to how things went with Kenny Pickett during his rookie year at quarterback, the starting job at left tackle isn't simply going to be handed to Jones. He is going to have to work for it. As expected, Moore was running with the first team during the first day of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) on Tuesday.
#Steelers Day 1 OTA offensive line work @937theFan pic.twitter.com/Ki6DMfk3rF
— Jeff Hathhorn (@jhathhorn) May 23, 2023
Even though Moore could theoretically prove to the coaching staff that he should be the guy protecting Pickett's blindside, it seems as if the left tackle had something else in mind throughout the offseason. It's almost like he has given up on the position he played for the first two seasons of his career and is going to be ready for a new potential opportunity.
“I have started [working at RT] on my own,” Moore said when speaking to the media on Tuesday. “Nobody asked me to do anything personally. That’s just something I did.”
Steelers left tackle, Dan Moore Jr. walks on the field at St. Vincent College during 2022 training camp in Latrobe, PA. Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Moore doesn't necessarily deserve to be criticized for wanting to get better at right tackle. It maximizes his chances to get into the starting lineup once Jones replaces him. If an injury occurs to Chukwuma Okorafor, he will likely be the guy to take over. He was thinking ahead, but that doesn't change the fact that he doesn't have the confidence that the job should be his on the left side.
He was very clear in how he feels about the Steelers selecting Jones in the draft. He had quite the political answer, as one could have expected, when speaking to the media about the situation.
“What’s done is done. All I can do is focus on me and control what I can control, and that’s getting better every day.”
Steelers 2023 first-round pick and offensive lineman, Broderick Jones gets some instruction from offensive line coach, Pat Meyer during the team's 2023 rookie minicamp. Photo Credit: Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
The good news is that Moore is being a team player about what has transpired in the offensive line room. He wants to help the team win and is willing to do whatever is needed to make that happen.
“It’s kind of early now in the process to say anything,” Moore said. “I’ll just do what they tell me pretty much to do.”
He isn't worried too much about the competition on the line at this point. He was transparent in saying that he wants to improve his play and go about things the right way in the locker room and on the field.
“I’m approaching every single day like I do already, and that’s getting better. It’s a professional business, and they expect me to treat it like a professional.”
It's extremely likely that Jones ends up winning the starting job by the Steelers first regular season game of 2023. It would be disappointing if he didn't flash enough potential to start right away. The team has a solid backup option in Moore who has started 33 games since he was drafted without missing a game. His healthy nature and experience will be a huge factor if an injury were to occur to either Jones or Okorafor.
Do you think Moore is already giving up on winning the starting job at left tackle? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
