Steelers 3rd-Year OT Dan Moore Jr. Doing Whatever He Can To Keep His Job In Left Tackle Battle

Heading into the offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers were expected to prioritize the offensive line, specifically the tackle positions. Going back to the background of assistant General Manager Andy Weidl, it’s how he helped develop a now superstar-filled team with the Philadelphia Eagles. This meant that either Dan Moore Jr. or Chukwuma Okorafor could face a scenario in which they lose their starting job after a competition. 

Left tackle is presumably the more important position in the NFL, the blindside to right-handed quarterbacks. Okorafor remains a bigger deal, so he was always likely to start in Pittsburgh unless they cut him altogether. Broderick Jones was slowly slipping in the 2023 NFL Draft, and General Manager Omar Khan traded up a few spots to pick the left tackle out of Georgia.

Now, the instant reaction was that would mean the end of the road for Moore, essentially. While Jones has seen some reps with the first-team at OTAs already, Moore isn't backing down. In a recent piece with Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, the third-year lineman was transparent about things in Pittsburgh with Jones now in the fold. He's going about it in a way that fans can appreciate.

"I had to take the mindset of what’s done is done. I have to be professional about it and just be able to be ready for whatever happens next. Anything I can do to help the team, that’s what I’m going to do. All I can do is to control what I can control. That’s just showing up every day trying to get better. So that’s the mindset that I had previously. And that’s the mindset that I’ll continue to have each and every day," Moore said via DeFabo's article.

The path for Moore seems clear at this point. It still feels inevitable that Jones will take over on the left side at some point in 2023 despite some recent comments suggesting otherwise. Former Steelers lineman Derwin Gray and current left guard Kevin Dotson don't believe Jones will play, as they talked about on SteelerNation's Three Point Stance podcast. Still, the front office invested a top-15 pick in the guy. 

Was Steelers' Dotson simply defending his teammate?

Unless he's clearly not ready, recent history suggests he'll take over very soon, if not by Week 1. Free agent signing Isaac Seumalo came out and said that Jones has the "rare tools" to be able to start right away. For Moore, there is still a clear role for him on this team, if he were to lose his starting job. He's began to take snaps at right tackle, meaning he could become the team's backup swing tackle. 

Pittsburgh's starting five along the offensive line didn't miss a game in 2022, but injuries do happen. It's partially why the front office invested so heavily in the depth along the line this offseason, as Nate Herbig will make $4 million as a backup guard. Moore could be ready to step in for either Okorafor or Jones in the case of an injury, and he's a good backup at that. 

As DeFabo pointed out that has already been noticed recently, Moore bulked up a decent bit this offseason, mainly adding a good amount of muscle. With that, he's not ready to give up his left tackle job just yet. This will arguably be the biggest position battle for the Steelers right up until the Week 1 battle against the San Francisco 49ers. Until then, it's clear that it will be a dogfight between Jones and Moore.

Who do you think will end up winning the left tackle job? Did you have a problem with Dotson's recent comments supporting his teammate in Moore? Is Okorafor's job in jeopardy at all? Share your thoughts in the comment section below, yinz!

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