It's been a while since there has been excitement surrounding the offensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The unit has gone through a serious makeover throughout the last two offseasons and drafting massive tackle, Broderick Jones in 2023 was the icing on the cake. Quarterback, Kenny Pickett should have some more time to throw in his sophomore season while the running game has a serious chance to do some damage. The depth chart is far from being solidified, however, and Dan Moore Jr. still has a legitimate shot to be the starting left tackle over Jones when the 2023 season kicks off.
Steelers offensive tackle, Dan Moore Jr. (#65) sets up at the line of scrimmage and prepares to block during a 2023 regular season game against the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
The interior part of the line is pretty much set in stone, barring an injury over the summer months. Newly signed, Isaac Seumalo will be at left guard while Mason Cole will be at center with James Daniels to his right. It's also expected that Chukwuma Okorafor will be the right tackle entering the second season of a huge three-year, roughly $30 million contract.
Moore has worked out at right tackle throughout the offseason and many think he will be the swing tackle while Jones and Okorafor man the ends full-time. However, Moore still could be protecting Pickett's blindside to begin the 2023 season. If he isn't, he'll be the first guy off the bench to replace either of the tackles if an injury were to occur at any point.
The Steelers traded up to draft Jones and he's certainly the future at the position, but Pittsburgh doesn't operate like a normal franchise. It would be great to simply throw him into the fire so he can get up to the NFL speed as quickly as possible, but Head Coach, Mike Tomlin isn't going to put him out there immediately unless he earns it.
Steelers first-round draft pick, Broderick Jones speaks with the media at his introductory press conference in April of 2023. | Photo Credit: Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporters, Christopher Carter and Ray Fittipaldo recently spoke on the North Shore Podcast about the current situation on the offensive line. Carter asked the insider what his thoughts were on the makeup of the group and Fittipaldo was very clear about who will be starting on the left side once September rolls around.
"As far as Chuks Okorafor goes, he's making too much money to be a swing tackle in 2023. They signed him to a $30 million contract over three years to be a starter and that's what he's going to be [in 2023]."
That's not much of a surprise considering Okorafor was relatively consistent in the first year after receiving a large chunk of cash. It will be interesting going forward, however. The Steelers are always looking to conserve cap space and according to Fittipaldo, Okorafor could be shown the door after 2023 if he doesn't take another step up. His cap hit for 2024 currently sits at just under $12 million.
"If you want to project down the road to 2024 and let's say Okorafor just continues to be solid and they don't think he's worth that contract anymore. In the final year of his contract, his dead cap hit is only $3 million dollars."
Steelers right tackle, Chukwuma Okorafor (#76) warms up on the field at Acrisure Stadium prior to a 2022 regular season matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Pittsburgh, PA. | Photo Credit: Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers Will Have Options At Tackle In 2023 And Beyond
Labeling Okorafor as a post-June 1 release would save the organization nearly $9 million in cap space while incurring a small dead cap hit of just under $3.1 million as Fittipaldo referred to. As it stands today, Okorafor it set to have the fourth-highest cap hit of anyone on the team in 2024. The reporter isn't sure when Jones will step in during his rookie season, but a much-improved Moore could lead to Okorafor looking for a new job and Jones and Moore running the tackle positions in 2024.
"If you think Dan Moore is ready to be a starter at that point, fine, but I think Dan Moore is your swing tackle in 2023 when and if Broderick Jones is ready and I just think right now, that time frame, we don't know if that's going to be August, September, October, November."
This is going to be one of the biggest position battles to keep an eye on come Steelers' training camp. Jones is going to start at some point, but no one is quite sure when. Moore will then have to prove his worth and potentially win the job at right tackle in 2024, or remain a swing tackle on the bench until his rookie contract is up after the 2024 season.
Do you think the Steelers could cut ties with Okorafor after 2023? Let us know in the comments below!
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